Chapter Twenty-Nine, Light Up the Dark
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Whew... ff.net has certainly had her problems. Anyone else noticing the "fanfiction.net" part of the banner in the top left of the site keeps changing color? Hmm... I've had a busy few weeks. Megan (Lorna Doors, Polgan) came to visit for a few days... fourth of July (almost ran over a jackass of a kid with my car, it was fun... holy shit!! Megan, you think the scratch...? No... He was in the front. Okay. Don't mind me :o) )... I started another job as a paintball ref, and I have the bruises to prove it (I'm very proud of the one on my arm. *VERY* big and vividly colored... eight feet away, at 289 fps with a full automatic. It was funny). I'm helping to ref the Michigan Monster Game this weekend (if any of you guys are into paintball and live in the tri-state area, come out and say hi--I'm the only female ref), which conflicts with my other job at Pizza Hut (I'm so bloody sick of pizza, you guys have no idea...). Battle of the Bosses, eh? :o) Anyway, really short chapter, I'm sorry about that. I just have to get over this part and then I'm good...
Aimée
---
All right, since I'm such a pushover, everyone who reviewed the last one gets a chapter dedicated to them, starting with the last person-- CannedMurder. Let me just say, holy *shit* with your review!! Thank you a TON, it meant a lot to me. I'm really glad you like LLOA and FDTMA so much... it's wonderful to hear from new people :o) It's strange to know that people who have been reading LLOA and FDTMA for a while, possibly from the beginning of the series, haven't reviewed or dropped a note saying "hi". I'm very glad you did, and I thank you for it :o)
---
Silence rang throughout our flat as Draco stood hovering above me with the small green snake coiled, looking for all the world as if she were sedated. His eyes were wide with shock and as I shifted slightly, he instinctively took a step back.
Without a word, I jumped off the chair I was sitting on and ran into my bedroom. After a moment or two, I heard Draco come after me, probably against his better judgment.
"Harry?" he asked quietly, standing on the other side of my now closed and locked door. "Come out, please? It's not that big a deal, you know that."
"Not a big deal?!" I exclaimed, banging my fist on the wall next to the door. "Salazar Slytherin was the first—Voldemort was known for it—and now I find out I have it! I'm Harry Potter, for God's sake… savior of the Wizarding World and all that bullshit. How the hell did this happen to me? To me… fucking hell, Mum and Dad are going to kill me…"
I slowly sank down to the floor with my back against the wall for support. I closed my eyes and for a brief moment, I saw a swirl of colors flash before my eyes as I sank deep into the recesses of my mind.
All my life, I have wanted nothing else but to be normal. Did you know that, Draco? When I was a small child, no more than four, I would look out the window at night towards the moon and just pray Voldemort had never existed, simply because I just wanted to be normal.
If Voldemort had never existed, you would not exist either, so what would be the point?
No… somewhere, somehow, I would be on earth, living as a normal child would, without the fame, the fortune, the expectations, and without my goddamned scar.
Then you wouldn't know me.
Then I would rather not exist at all.
And leave me alone in this world?
You'd be better off without me.
Hardly. Who would do my laundry?
With a small smile, I opened my eyes and with a whisper, unlocked the door I was next to. I heard the hinges creak with complaint as Draco slowly opened it, and soon enough he stood before me, kneeling down a moment later to look me in the eye.
"Everyone has something worth living for." His words were gentle and filled with emotions I had never heard it harbor. "You are my something, Harry. You were the reason I was put on this earth—the reason I've stayed alive all these years. No matter what anyone else thinks, no matter what the press says, no matter what your family thinks, I will always be here for you and I will always love you with every fiber in my being. Do you understand, Harry?"
I nodded numbly, my mind too dulled and foggy to immediately comprehend the words spilling out of his mouth and pouring into my mind like thick honey.
I don't know how long we were there, him standing over my rigid body like the overprotective mate he was. Even as darkness descended upon the flat, he stayed with me. Whether he was trying to prove a point he had spent years insisting he was dedicated to, or was simply frightened I would try something, I did not know. However, in the back of my mind and the depths of my heart, I was extremely grateful and filled with a sort of admiration for the man and the task he had set out to do early on in his adulthood—to be my life.
It had taken him mere seconds to accomplish his goal.
Finally, after what must have been hours, I relented and stood up, my muscles stiff and bones aching from staying in that one uncomfortable position for so long. Draco breathed a sigh of relief as I did so, probably extremely grateful to avoid another long, drawn-out argument between the two of us.
Silently, I made my way into our bedroom, slowly striping my tired body of the garments it wore as I moved through the hall and room. Draco trailed after me, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly as I climbed into our bed completely nude. I wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking, but I knew I could have easily guessed; however, I was simply trying to rid myself of the sins and curses of the last few months in the easiest way I knew; allow Draco to help me.
And help me he did—all night long.
It's amazing
How you can speak
Right to my heart
Without saying a word,
You can light up the dark
Try as I may
I could never explain
What I hear when
You don't say a thing
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
All day long
I can hear people
Talking out loud
But when you hold me near
You drown out the crowd
(The crowd)
Try as they may
They can never define
What's been said
Between your
Heart and mine
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)
The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Let's me know
That you need me
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)
The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Let's me know
That you need me
(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)*
*Ronan Keating, When You Say Nothing At All
Longass title, eh?
---
Belle: I'm sorry it took so long, and don't worry about not reviewing. I'm not one to count reviews (unless I have something like 989 or something...), and yours was greatly appreciated :o) Yeah, ff.net HAS been shutting down a bit much lately, eh? Hopefully it'll last this time... heh :o)
Cat Samwise: I don't like the title much... Don't know if I already said that. If I can come up with a different one, I'll change it after I finish the damn thing. How am I going to explain it? Easily. *G* Eh, you get a chapter dedicated to you anyway, so it's all good. Thanks once again for reviewing!! :o)
Fire: You so do not fucking count!! LOL How many chapters or parts have you had? Be nice, you... I'm kidding though. Good lord, you're insane sometimes, you know that? *sigh* Such good friends I have...
Klee: LOL, yep, me wrote more!! I'm very glad you're proud. Yeah, the date would have been one of my first questions... after I remembered what the date was that I had been knocked out. I sent you PA, right? Hopefully... hmm. *thinks* I think I did. Eh, well, tell me if I didn't and I'll send. It's late, I haven't gotten a bit of sleep at all in the past four days, and once I post this I'm sleeping for at least twelve hours. :o) *sings* Harry talks to snakes, Harry talks to snakes...
Shades: Yep, I'm alive, but only partially. Yes, Happy Summer to you as well, and what a wonderfully hot summer it is turning out to be!! Nah, my little "Blame God" comment was stuck in there to piss some people off. I'm one of those freaks who think "under God" should be eliminated from the P.O.A.... politically correct and all that. *shrug* Yeah, Sam's "kind" is a fairly small breed of snake. I'll have the actual breed up soon, once I look it up... *sheepish grin* I don't know how many chapters are left... I have a set plan, one that it just about to start rolling, so... Wow, lol, I'm glad you love this story!! Thank you!! *G*
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Whew... ff.net has certainly had her problems. Anyone else noticing the "fanfiction.net" part of the banner in the top left of the site keeps changing color? Hmm... I've had a busy few weeks. Megan (Lorna Doors, Polgan) came to visit for a few days... fourth of July (almost ran over a jackass of a kid with my car, it was fun... holy shit!! Megan, you think the scratch...? No... He was in the front. Okay. Don't mind me :o) )... I started another job as a paintball ref, and I have the bruises to prove it (I'm very proud of the one on my arm. *VERY* big and vividly colored... eight feet away, at 289 fps with a full automatic. It was funny). I'm helping to ref the Michigan Monster Game this weekend (if any of you guys are into paintball and live in the tri-state area, come out and say hi--I'm the only female ref), which conflicts with my other job at Pizza Hut (I'm so bloody sick of pizza, you guys have no idea...). Battle of the Bosses, eh? :o) Anyway, really short chapter, I'm sorry about that. I just have to get over this part and then I'm good...
Aimée
---
All right, since I'm such a pushover, everyone who reviewed the last one gets a chapter dedicated to them, starting with the last person-- CannedMurder. Let me just say, holy *shit* with your review!! Thank you a TON, it meant a lot to me. I'm really glad you like LLOA and FDTMA so much... it's wonderful to hear from new people :o) It's strange to know that people who have been reading LLOA and FDTMA for a while, possibly from the beginning of the series, haven't reviewed or dropped a note saying "hi". I'm very glad you did, and I thank you for it :o)
---
Silence rang throughout our flat as Draco stood hovering above me with the small green snake coiled, looking for all the world as if she were sedated. His eyes were wide with shock and as I shifted slightly, he instinctively took a step back.
Without a word, I jumped off the chair I was sitting on and ran into my bedroom. After a moment or two, I heard Draco come after me, probably against his better judgment.
"Harry?" he asked quietly, standing on the other side of my now closed and locked door. "Come out, please? It's not that big a deal, you know that."
"Not a big deal?!" I exclaimed, banging my fist on the wall next to the door. "Salazar Slytherin was the first—Voldemort was known for it—and now I find out I have it! I'm Harry Potter, for God's sake… savior of the Wizarding World and all that bullshit. How the hell did this happen to me? To me… fucking hell, Mum and Dad are going to kill me…"
I slowly sank down to the floor with my back against the wall for support. I closed my eyes and for a brief moment, I saw a swirl of colors flash before my eyes as I sank deep into the recesses of my mind.
All my life, I have wanted nothing else but to be normal. Did you know that, Draco? When I was a small child, no more than four, I would look out the window at night towards the moon and just pray Voldemort had never existed, simply because I just wanted to be normal.
If Voldemort had never existed, you would not exist either, so what would be the point?
No… somewhere, somehow, I would be on earth, living as a normal child would, without the fame, the fortune, the expectations, and without my goddamned scar.
Then you wouldn't know me.
Then I would rather not exist at all.
And leave me alone in this world?
You'd be better off without me.
Hardly. Who would do my laundry?
With a small smile, I opened my eyes and with a whisper, unlocked the door I was next to. I heard the hinges creak with complaint as Draco slowly opened it, and soon enough he stood before me, kneeling down a moment later to look me in the eye.
"Everyone has something worth living for." His words were gentle and filled with emotions I had never heard it harbor. "You are my something, Harry. You were the reason I was put on this earth—the reason I've stayed alive all these years. No matter what anyone else thinks, no matter what the press says, no matter what your family thinks, I will always be here for you and I will always love you with every fiber in my being. Do you understand, Harry?"
I nodded numbly, my mind too dulled and foggy to immediately comprehend the words spilling out of his mouth and pouring into my mind like thick honey.
I don't know how long we were there, him standing over my rigid body like the overprotective mate he was. Even as darkness descended upon the flat, he stayed with me. Whether he was trying to prove a point he had spent years insisting he was dedicated to, or was simply frightened I would try something, I did not know. However, in the back of my mind and the depths of my heart, I was extremely grateful and filled with a sort of admiration for the man and the task he had set out to do early on in his adulthood—to be my life.
It had taken him mere seconds to accomplish his goal.
Finally, after what must have been hours, I relented and stood up, my muscles stiff and bones aching from staying in that one uncomfortable position for so long. Draco breathed a sigh of relief as I did so, probably extremely grateful to avoid another long, drawn-out argument between the two of us.
Silently, I made my way into our bedroom, slowly striping my tired body of the garments it wore as I moved through the hall and room. Draco trailed after me, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly as I climbed into our bed completely nude. I wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking, but I knew I could have easily guessed; however, I was simply trying to rid myself of the sins and curses of the last few months in the easiest way I knew; allow Draco to help me.
And help me he did—all night long.
It's amazing
How you can speak
Right to my heart
Without saying a word,
You can light up the dark
Try as I may
I could never explain
What I hear when
You don't say a thing
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
All day long
I can hear people
Talking out loud
But when you hold me near
You drown out the crowd
(The crowd)
Try as they may
They can never define
What's been said
Between your
Heart and mine
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)
The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Let's me know
That you need me
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)
The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Let's me know
That you need me
(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)*
*Ronan Keating, When You Say Nothing At All
Longass title, eh?
---
Belle: I'm sorry it took so long, and don't worry about not reviewing. I'm not one to count reviews (unless I have something like 989 or something...), and yours was greatly appreciated :o) Yeah, ff.net HAS been shutting down a bit much lately, eh? Hopefully it'll last this time... heh :o)
Cat Samwise: I don't like the title much... Don't know if I already said that. If I can come up with a different one, I'll change it after I finish the damn thing. How am I going to explain it? Easily. *G* Eh, you get a chapter dedicated to you anyway, so it's all good. Thanks once again for reviewing!! :o)
Fire: You so do not fucking count!! LOL How many chapters or parts have you had? Be nice, you... I'm kidding though. Good lord, you're insane sometimes, you know that? *sigh* Such good friends I have...
Klee: LOL, yep, me wrote more!! I'm very glad you're proud. Yeah, the date would have been one of my first questions... after I remembered what the date was that I had been knocked out. I sent you PA, right? Hopefully... hmm. *thinks* I think I did. Eh, well, tell me if I didn't and I'll send. It's late, I haven't gotten a bit of sleep at all in the past four days, and once I post this I'm sleeping for at least twelve hours. :o) *sings* Harry talks to snakes, Harry talks to snakes...
Shades: Yep, I'm alive, but only partially. Yes, Happy Summer to you as well, and what a wonderfully hot summer it is turning out to be!! Nah, my little "Blame God" comment was stuck in there to piss some people off. I'm one of those freaks who think "under God" should be eliminated from the P.O.A.... politically correct and all that. *shrug* Yeah, Sam's "kind" is a fairly small breed of snake. I'll have the actual breed up soon, once I look it up... *sheepish grin* I don't know how many chapters are left... I have a set plan, one that it just about to start rolling, so... Wow, lol, I'm glad you love this story!! Thank you!! *G*