Disclaimer: Only Cara is mine.
Thanks to:
~*~
Chapter 21 – The Dark Waltz
"What're you doing?" Malfoy asked as he watched Harry at the breakfast table while the man signed some documents.
"None of your business." The animagi said vaguely as he continued to scribble down notes.
"How long have you and the pup been together?" The white haired man said as he hopped the chair that he was tied to closer to the table.
Sighing, Harry stood and walked over to the kitchen counter where he took a large cookie from the biscuit tin. Walking over to the tied up man he shoved it into the annoying mouth. Malfoy gave a little 'mmph' as he glared up at the smirking man.
"Be quiet or you go upstairs." He said as he returned to the papers.
He was planning on taking the man upstairs anyway as today he had planned to propose to Cara today. He had everything set, even down to Hermione who had taken the werewolf out for the day and the only snag was spitting out cookie crumbs onto the table.
"That wasn't very host-like." The Slytherin said as he spat out little pieces caught in his teeth to the side.
"I'm not your host Malfoy." Harry sighed as he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Really, he knew the man was a git but being in such close proximity to him he was highly irritating.
"Still...so, you and the Were. Can't say I saw that one coming when we were in school, I always thought you had a thing for girls."
"Malfoy, are you TRYING to be this annoying or does it come naturally?" The animagi said as he slammed his quill down and glared at the smirking platinum-blonde man.
"Only for you Boy Wonder."
Harry slammed his head down onto the table where he gave a muffled yell into his shirtsleeve.
~*~
"Aw come on Potter, this room is horrible." Draco said as Harry and Remus dragged him, chair and all, into a spare room that they could only guess used to belong to Regulus Black.
"Tough, you're staying in here." The Gryffindor said snappishly. He was beginning to get nervous as he thought about what he was planning to do and even Malfoy picked up on this.
"What's eating you?" The man said as he skidded his chair closer to the bed, the legs beginning to teeter dangerously.
"You are a nosy one aren't you." Remus stated, mildly amused as Harry made to grab the nearest throwable object but the older man stopped him.
"I'm a curious child." The hostage said cockily before his chair leant back to far and he fell backwards with a yell. Remus made to help him up but Harry grabbed his arm.
"No, no...I like him like that."
~*~
Hermione kept Cara entertained for most of the day, checking her watch every now and again as she kept track of the time. Harry hadn't told her what he had planned but she did as she was told, trying to keep all excitement under cover.
They slipped in and out of the shops in Bath, the werewolf stopping into the Arcania briefly to say hello to Bethany and promising to be in tomorrow. Hermione fell in love with the rows upon rows of New Age books available and by time they left they had at least two bags of purchases each.
"Hey what's this?" Cara said pointing with his hand to a little shop with T- shirts hanging in them.
"Muggle slogan shop, ooh actually we can get some shopping done in here."
Hermione dragged her laughing friend into the cramped shop as they scanned the variety of T-shirts offered to them, laughing at the different sayings printed across the chests.
"I should get this one for Dumbledore." She said laughing as she held up a top that said 'Cunningly disguised as an adult' across the front. Cara chuckled and nodded.
"Ooh how about this one for Harry?" She said as she handed the T-shirt to the blonde.
"'Slowly one by one the penguins steal my sanity'." Cara laughed loudly and nodded again, handing her the T-shirt as she threw them over her arm with the rest of the early Christmas presents she was buying.
As she went to get her gifts rung up Cara looked out the door and across to the shop opposite. It was a picture and painting shop, which intrigued him so after telling his friend he was just popping across the way he walked into the shop.
There were so many paintings, some modern like Jack Vettriano and other's much older like Henri Toulousse-Lautrec. He scanned them over until finally one stopped him with a leap of his heart.
It was an oil painting of three wolves and a cub in a snowy backdrop. The largest, a white wolf, was baying to a Full Moon as a smaller less dazzling white wolf nuzzled at its chest. A tawny wolf was nudging the side of a small little light-furred cub as it played in the snow. Save for the cub it reminded him very much of his pack that it was almost startling.
To him it was a powerful image of a family and he could faintly hear the ancient song of the wolf, a dance that only the Canis Lupus family knew beneath the blue moon. Every song was unique to every pack, his own being a very deep and soothing ballad with Remus's wiser howl compared to his higher lilting bay. But it was Harry's, his Caerleon's howl, that sent shivers down his spine.
It was the wind that whistled in the trees, it was the sound of hope and it was a battle cry all in one. Looking closer at the white wolf in the painting he could almost hear his mate's voice.
Instantly he decided to buy it and had it wrapped lovingly as a present for Harry's Christmas. It may have been early but it was perfect.
He walked out a few minutes later to meet up with Hermione again with his painting in a large purchase bag swinging from his shoulder.
"You ready to go back?" He asked and for a moment Hermione looked panicked.
"Er...I guess, what time is it?" Quickly she looked at her watch and relaxed. Harry said they could return around this time.
"Yeah lets go." She chirped and briefly the werewolf watched her back suspiciously.
~*~
"I'm telling you, Kate West is a brilliant author but it's Silver Ravenwolf's humour that proves for a lighter read." Hermione said as she pushed the door open for Grimmauld Place.
"Of course." Cara said vaguely. He went to make his way into the kitchen but Hermione stopped him quickly and pushed him upstairs.
"Why don't we take our stuff upstairs CARA yeah?" She said loudly as she shoved the startled werewolf upstairs.
"Why are you shouting my name like that?" He asked. Hermione made to comment when they both spotted Malfoy on the floor of the spare room on his back with his legs supported up by the chair he was still tied to.
The three looked at one another before slowly, with a confused expression on her face the young witch closed the door.
"What were we saying?" She said breaking the silence.
"You were being weird."
"Ah yes, so, stuff into the bedrooms I say."
They carried their new things into their respectful rooms then made their way downstairs, the witch trailing behind the werewolf.
"Ok Hermione something's up so tell me what's happeni..." Cara's voice broke off as they stepped into the kitchen. He was shocked into silence as he stared around the room.
Candles were everywhere. They all flickered magickally in the otherwise dark room like a auburn tide. Sea's of red, orange's and yellow's danced on the walls casting a warm romantic feeling to the air.
The table was gone, removed from the room leaving even more space for tea candles on the floor, and it was here, in the centre of the room stood a nervous looking Harry.
Briefly Cara looked back at Hermione but she had already left the door closed and everything. Turning back round he watched Harry move forward slightly in a very slight shaking manner.
"Cara..." He said, his voice cracking very lightly.
"Goddess..." Cara whispered as Harry moved closer still until finally they stood a foot away from each other. The blonde reached up to stroke a strand of raven hair out of the anxious green eyes.
Slowly, Harry lowered himself onto one knee as Cara's hand lifted to his mouth in recognition, holding back a mix of a gasp and sob.
"Cara...I have been with you for three years now and everyday my love for you has only grown stronger," The animagi held one of the blonde's hands in his two, "I have never known what it was like to have the love of a soul mate but then I met you."
The werewolf could feel tears slipping down his cheeks but he smiled tremendously as Harry's peridot green eyes gazed up into his gold ones.
"You have been my friend, companion and lover through the dark times and the light. I carry within me an ancient flame but compared to the passion I feel for you it is that of a mere candlelight.
You are my Harmony, my Strength, my Sun, my Moon and my Heaven. When we are together... it is like I have died and been reborn, my soul calling for yours and never once have you not answered.... People say to love a Lycan is to dance a Dark Waltz, shadowed and uncertain but they're wrong. Yes it is a Dark Dance but together we create the light, and I want to spend the rest of my life dancing beneath the light of the Moon with you."
Cara let a sob slip through as Harry reached into his pocket and extracted a small velvet bag from it. He pulled out a glistening two-coloured ring and held it up to the werewolf.
Letting out a shaky breathe the animagi looked back up at the blonde.
"Cara...Will you marry me?" He whispered and more tears slipped down the werewolf's cheeks. His smile widened and he nodded vigorously.
"Yes." He said, a little laugh intermingled with his choked up voice as he crouched onto his knees. Harry's eyes widened a little.
"Really?" He said and Cara gave another little laughing sob.
"Yes."
The animagi let out a laughing breathe as he took his mate's hand into his shaking one, making to slip on the ring but the werewolf stopped him momentarily as he moved his Claddagh ring from his wedding finger to his middle finger.
"Ok, go on." He said and they both grinned at one another as Harry slipped the ring onto his lover's hand.
He took the other ring out of the bag and went to slip it on but Cara took it from him and picked up his lover's left hand then slipped it on.
They placed their hands to rest cupping each other's faces as they leant up and kissed one another deeply. More tears slipped out of the blonde's closed amber eyes as they pulled back, thumbs tracing over one another's cheekbones.
"No wait!" They heard a voice call before the door opened and Snape came in with Hermione hot on his tail. The Potion's master stopped in his tracks as he surveyed the room.
"Oh Dear." He said but Cara and Harry stood smiling, shaking their heads.
"It's ok." Just as those words sounded the rest of the group (The Weasley's Dumbledore and Remus) charged into the room stopping in their tracks as they looked at the two expectantly.
"Well?" Ron said and the two grinned.
"Dumbledore, will you perform the ceremony?" Cara asked simply but it was answer enough as the group gave a happy yell and moved into a huge hug.
Snape stood off to the side looking a bit uncomfortable but Remus laughed and grabbed him by the collar, pulling the startled man into the hoard of bodies.
"Live a little Severus." The werewolf laughed.
In amongst the thousands of arms Cara smiled brightly as he looked over at his now Fiancé. Harry brushed his hand down the tear-stained cheek and leant in to kiss him as the group gave a loud 'aww' making everyone laugh.
~*~
Dark Waltz
We are the Lucky ones
We shine like a thousand suns
When all of the colour runs together
I'll Keep you company
In one glorious harmony
Waltzing with destiny forever
Dance me into the night
Underneath the full moon shinning so bright
Turning me into the light
Time dancers waltzing past
I gaze through the looking glass
And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven
Sacred geometry
Where movement is poetry
Visions of you and me forever
Dance me into the night
Underneath the full moon shinning so bright
Turning me into the light
Dance me into the night
Underneath the full moon shinning so bright
Let the Dark Waltz begin
Oh let me wheel – let me spin
Let it take me again
Turning me into the light
By Hayley Westenra from her album 'Pure' and the inspiration for Harry's proposal.
Thanks to:
~*~
Chapter 21 – The Dark Waltz
"What're you doing?" Malfoy asked as he watched Harry at the breakfast table while the man signed some documents.
"None of your business." The animagi said vaguely as he continued to scribble down notes.
"How long have you and the pup been together?" The white haired man said as he hopped the chair that he was tied to closer to the table.
Sighing, Harry stood and walked over to the kitchen counter where he took a large cookie from the biscuit tin. Walking over to the tied up man he shoved it into the annoying mouth. Malfoy gave a little 'mmph' as he glared up at the smirking man.
"Be quiet or you go upstairs." He said as he returned to the papers.
He was planning on taking the man upstairs anyway as today he had planned to propose to Cara today. He had everything set, even down to Hermione who had taken the werewolf out for the day and the only snag was spitting out cookie crumbs onto the table.
"That wasn't very host-like." The Slytherin said as he spat out little pieces caught in his teeth to the side.
"I'm not your host Malfoy." Harry sighed as he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Really, he knew the man was a git but being in such close proximity to him he was highly irritating.
"Still...so, you and the Were. Can't say I saw that one coming when we were in school, I always thought you had a thing for girls."
"Malfoy, are you TRYING to be this annoying or does it come naturally?" The animagi said as he slammed his quill down and glared at the smirking platinum-blonde man.
"Only for you Boy Wonder."
Harry slammed his head down onto the table where he gave a muffled yell into his shirtsleeve.
~*~
"Aw come on Potter, this room is horrible." Draco said as Harry and Remus dragged him, chair and all, into a spare room that they could only guess used to belong to Regulus Black.
"Tough, you're staying in here." The Gryffindor said snappishly. He was beginning to get nervous as he thought about what he was planning to do and even Malfoy picked up on this.
"What's eating you?" The man said as he skidded his chair closer to the bed, the legs beginning to teeter dangerously.
"You are a nosy one aren't you." Remus stated, mildly amused as Harry made to grab the nearest throwable object but the older man stopped him.
"I'm a curious child." The hostage said cockily before his chair leant back to far and he fell backwards with a yell. Remus made to help him up but Harry grabbed his arm.
"No, no...I like him like that."
~*~
Hermione kept Cara entertained for most of the day, checking her watch every now and again as she kept track of the time. Harry hadn't told her what he had planned but she did as she was told, trying to keep all excitement under cover.
They slipped in and out of the shops in Bath, the werewolf stopping into the Arcania briefly to say hello to Bethany and promising to be in tomorrow. Hermione fell in love with the rows upon rows of New Age books available and by time they left they had at least two bags of purchases each.
"Hey what's this?" Cara said pointing with his hand to a little shop with T- shirts hanging in them.
"Muggle slogan shop, ooh actually we can get some shopping done in here."
Hermione dragged her laughing friend into the cramped shop as they scanned the variety of T-shirts offered to them, laughing at the different sayings printed across the chests.
"I should get this one for Dumbledore." She said laughing as she held up a top that said 'Cunningly disguised as an adult' across the front. Cara chuckled and nodded.
"Ooh how about this one for Harry?" She said as she handed the T-shirt to the blonde.
"'Slowly one by one the penguins steal my sanity'." Cara laughed loudly and nodded again, handing her the T-shirt as she threw them over her arm with the rest of the early Christmas presents she was buying.
As she went to get her gifts rung up Cara looked out the door and across to the shop opposite. It was a picture and painting shop, which intrigued him so after telling his friend he was just popping across the way he walked into the shop.
There were so many paintings, some modern like Jack Vettriano and other's much older like Henri Toulousse-Lautrec. He scanned them over until finally one stopped him with a leap of his heart.
It was an oil painting of three wolves and a cub in a snowy backdrop. The largest, a white wolf, was baying to a Full Moon as a smaller less dazzling white wolf nuzzled at its chest. A tawny wolf was nudging the side of a small little light-furred cub as it played in the snow. Save for the cub it reminded him very much of his pack that it was almost startling.
To him it was a powerful image of a family and he could faintly hear the ancient song of the wolf, a dance that only the Canis Lupus family knew beneath the blue moon. Every song was unique to every pack, his own being a very deep and soothing ballad with Remus's wiser howl compared to his higher lilting bay. But it was Harry's, his Caerleon's howl, that sent shivers down his spine.
It was the wind that whistled in the trees, it was the sound of hope and it was a battle cry all in one. Looking closer at the white wolf in the painting he could almost hear his mate's voice.
Instantly he decided to buy it and had it wrapped lovingly as a present for Harry's Christmas. It may have been early but it was perfect.
He walked out a few minutes later to meet up with Hermione again with his painting in a large purchase bag swinging from his shoulder.
"You ready to go back?" He asked and for a moment Hermione looked panicked.
"Er...I guess, what time is it?" Quickly she looked at her watch and relaxed. Harry said they could return around this time.
"Yeah lets go." She chirped and briefly the werewolf watched her back suspiciously.
~*~
"I'm telling you, Kate West is a brilliant author but it's Silver Ravenwolf's humour that proves for a lighter read." Hermione said as she pushed the door open for Grimmauld Place.
"Of course." Cara said vaguely. He went to make his way into the kitchen but Hermione stopped him quickly and pushed him upstairs.
"Why don't we take our stuff upstairs CARA yeah?" She said loudly as she shoved the startled werewolf upstairs.
"Why are you shouting my name like that?" He asked. Hermione made to comment when they both spotted Malfoy on the floor of the spare room on his back with his legs supported up by the chair he was still tied to.
The three looked at one another before slowly, with a confused expression on her face the young witch closed the door.
"What were we saying?" She said breaking the silence.
"You were being weird."
"Ah yes, so, stuff into the bedrooms I say."
They carried their new things into their respectful rooms then made their way downstairs, the witch trailing behind the werewolf.
"Ok Hermione something's up so tell me what's happeni..." Cara's voice broke off as they stepped into the kitchen. He was shocked into silence as he stared around the room.
Candles were everywhere. They all flickered magickally in the otherwise dark room like a auburn tide. Sea's of red, orange's and yellow's danced on the walls casting a warm romantic feeling to the air.
The table was gone, removed from the room leaving even more space for tea candles on the floor, and it was here, in the centre of the room stood a nervous looking Harry.
Briefly Cara looked back at Hermione but she had already left the door closed and everything. Turning back round he watched Harry move forward slightly in a very slight shaking manner.
"Cara..." He said, his voice cracking very lightly.
"Goddess..." Cara whispered as Harry moved closer still until finally they stood a foot away from each other. The blonde reached up to stroke a strand of raven hair out of the anxious green eyes.
Slowly, Harry lowered himself onto one knee as Cara's hand lifted to his mouth in recognition, holding back a mix of a gasp and sob.
"Cara...I have been with you for three years now and everyday my love for you has only grown stronger," The animagi held one of the blonde's hands in his two, "I have never known what it was like to have the love of a soul mate but then I met you."
The werewolf could feel tears slipping down his cheeks but he smiled tremendously as Harry's peridot green eyes gazed up into his gold ones.
"You have been my friend, companion and lover through the dark times and the light. I carry within me an ancient flame but compared to the passion I feel for you it is that of a mere candlelight.
You are my Harmony, my Strength, my Sun, my Moon and my Heaven. When we are together... it is like I have died and been reborn, my soul calling for yours and never once have you not answered.... People say to love a Lycan is to dance a Dark Waltz, shadowed and uncertain but they're wrong. Yes it is a Dark Dance but together we create the light, and I want to spend the rest of my life dancing beneath the light of the Moon with you."
Cara let a sob slip through as Harry reached into his pocket and extracted a small velvet bag from it. He pulled out a glistening two-coloured ring and held it up to the werewolf.
Letting out a shaky breathe the animagi looked back up at the blonde.
"Cara...Will you marry me?" He whispered and more tears slipped down the werewolf's cheeks. His smile widened and he nodded vigorously.
"Yes." He said, a little laugh intermingled with his choked up voice as he crouched onto his knees. Harry's eyes widened a little.
"Really?" He said and Cara gave another little laughing sob.
"Yes."
The animagi let out a laughing breathe as he took his mate's hand into his shaking one, making to slip on the ring but the werewolf stopped him momentarily as he moved his Claddagh ring from his wedding finger to his middle finger.
"Ok, go on." He said and they both grinned at one another as Harry slipped the ring onto his lover's hand.
He took the other ring out of the bag and went to slip it on but Cara took it from him and picked up his lover's left hand then slipped it on.
They placed their hands to rest cupping each other's faces as they leant up and kissed one another deeply. More tears slipped out of the blonde's closed amber eyes as they pulled back, thumbs tracing over one another's cheekbones.
"No wait!" They heard a voice call before the door opened and Snape came in with Hermione hot on his tail. The Potion's master stopped in his tracks as he surveyed the room.
"Oh Dear." He said but Cara and Harry stood smiling, shaking their heads.
"It's ok." Just as those words sounded the rest of the group (The Weasley's Dumbledore and Remus) charged into the room stopping in their tracks as they looked at the two expectantly.
"Well?" Ron said and the two grinned.
"Dumbledore, will you perform the ceremony?" Cara asked simply but it was answer enough as the group gave a happy yell and moved into a huge hug.
Snape stood off to the side looking a bit uncomfortable but Remus laughed and grabbed him by the collar, pulling the startled man into the hoard of bodies.
"Live a little Severus." The werewolf laughed.
In amongst the thousands of arms Cara smiled brightly as he looked over at his now Fiancé. Harry brushed his hand down the tear-stained cheek and leant in to kiss him as the group gave a loud 'aww' making everyone laugh.
~*~
Dark Waltz
We are the Lucky ones
We shine like a thousand suns
When all of the colour runs together
I'll Keep you company
In one glorious harmony
Waltzing with destiny forever
Dance me into the night
Underneath the full moon shinning so bright
Turning me into the light
Time dancers waltzing past
I gaze through the looking glass
And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven
Sacred geometry
Where movement is poetry
Visions of you and me forever
Dance me into the night
Underneath the full moon shinning so bright
Turning me into the light
Dance me into the night
Underneath the full moon shinning so bright
Let the Dark Waltz begin
Oh let me wheel – let me spin
Let it take me again
Turning me into the light
By Hayley Westenra from her album 'Pure' and the inspiration for Harry's proposal.