Author's Note: I know. It has been a VERY long time since the last post. The reason being that I felt my writing was lagging a bit and I thought it would be kinder to all my readers and myself if I took a break from DOB, worked on something else for a while, and then came back to it with a fresh outlook. At a certain point, I decided that I would rather drop the story for a while than continue writing and have the plot get certainly worse. Anyways, I've finished my wool gathering, spiritual quest, journey into the soul, or what ever you want to call it and I promise that updates will become more frequent as I get back into the Harry Potter writing groove.
Chapter 9

Draco slowly opened his eyes and smiled softly as Harry bent down and kissed him, hesitantly at first and then with more insistence until Draco was forced to let Harry into his mouth. For a long moment, their tongues danced with each other until Draco finally pulled back, breaking the kiss.

"You came," he said simply as he kissed Harry's neck. "I miss you."

"I was worried about you," gasped Harry as Draco gently caressed him, "Don't you ever sleep? I've tried to send this dream ten times already, but you were always awake."

Draco smiled. "I was busy," he said as he looked around with amusement at the bedroom scene that surrounded them, "Is this your not so subtle way of telling me you'll be my lover?"

Harry's eyes were cautious, "Define lover."

Draco smiled and rolled over, pinning Harry's body under his own. Forcefully, he kissed him, bruising Harry's lips with his ferocity. Harry moaned as Draco pressed his groin against his. Slowly, Draco's hand slid down the length of Harry's body. Carefully unbuttoning Harry's pants and sliding his fingers inside. Harry's nails dug into Draco's skin, drawing blood. A moment later, Draco pulled back, gasping.

"What do you think, mon ami?" asked Draco mischievously, "If you say yes, all this will be yours and yours alone."

"No fair, Draco," whispered Harry, "How am I to decide(d) with you doing this to me?"

Draco's smile widened into a real grin, "Just say yes, Harry."

Harry frowned but said, "Yes."

Draco studied Harry's face thoughtfully, "So why are you contacting me? I assume it wasn't just to get into my pants?"

"I-I need to know the truth, Draco," stammered Harry, "What you're doing, it's dangerous, I know that. But I also need to know that, whatever you're doing, you aren't walking into a trap that you can't possibly survive. Dumbledore, he seems to think that this thing you're going to is a trap and that they're going to kill you. Tell me, Draco, what the hell is going on?"

Draco sighed and rested his head against the pillow, "He's right, it is a trap. But, listen to me, mon ami, it's easier to walk into a trap with no intention of letting it work, than to stay away, not knowing what else the enemy is planning. Haven't you heard the old saying, 'Keep your friends close to you, but keep your enemies closer'? I had no choice. You already know that I'm answering a duel to succession. My enemies don't expect me to win. They want to kill me during the duel and make it look like an accident."

Harry frowned, "There's more to it isn't there? Don't bother denying it, I know, otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't be so worried."

Draco's temper flared, "Why don't you just trust me? I won't get killed, Harry! I know my own strengths and I know that I'm stronger than my enemies. Yeah, you're right, there's 'more' to it. Want me to tell you? The 'more' you're looking for is the fact that Voldemort is behind this whole, insane plot to murder me. Now are you happy?"

"I'm sorry, Draco," whispered Harry quietly, "I didn't mean to upset you. But, I care about you, I don't want anything bad to happen is all."

Draco sighed, "I know, Harry. But, if we're going to be the ones who will defeat the Dark Lord, you are going to have to trust me more. You are going to have to be able to believe I can hold my own against Voldemort's minions."

Harry smiled weakly, "I know. Thanks for being truthful with me, Draco. And, please, come back soon, I really do miss you."

Draco smiled, "I miss you too, mon ami."

"Ah, welcome back, McNair," said Voldemort smoothly, a hideous smile playing on his thin, lipless mouth, "What news do you have?"

The Death Eater bowed reverently as he entered the study. "My Lord," he said, "We have finally managed to track down one of the Olympians. The god Hades, has been found hiding out in the Parisian countryside. He seems to be unarmed and unaware of our surveillance."

Voldemort's red eyes glowed with excitement, "At last! Do you know how I have waited for this moment? To finally obtain the Philosopher's Stone, and with it, the Elixir of Life?"

"The quest has finally ended," said McNair blandly, "Soon, my Lord, you will have what is rightfully yours. Will you have me send the team in for the raid?"

"No," said Voldemort slowly, "I shall take care of Hades myself. This mission requires finesse; it must not fail. Besides, it seems as though the team has gotten a bit a bit too complacent as of late. They need to be reminded why I am the Dark Lord again."

McNair smiled slowly, "As you wish, my Lord."

Draco slipped silently into the Coliseum, invisibility cloak pulled over his head. They didn't allow tourists to actually go onto the arena floor anymore. Officially, the Muggle ministry had stated that they wanted to "preserve" the site for posterity. In actuality, the Coliseum, like Stonehenge, was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of haunts and ghosts. Of course, many of the ghosts here were the run-of-the-mill wizard ones. However, there were also restless spirits here. Spirits that refused to pass through the Shadowed Veil because they believed that there was something they still had to do before moving on. Most of these ghosts were once Muggles, and none of them were friendly.

Shaking himself from his mental reverie, Draco turned his attention to the scattered piles of rubble that dotted the grassy arena. Slowly, he moved through them, carefully inspecting each stone before moving on to the next until he came to a stone with the top half of a human jaw embedded into it. Despite himself, Draco shuddered. This was an ancient and powerful Gateway between the planes of light and darkness. Flavius de Malfias had made it in the time of the Emperor Hadrian, when he had been forced, as a prisoner of way, to fight in the Coliseum. In his time, Flavius had been a gladiatorial legend, using the power of a demon to win his matches. As far as Draco knew from the family archives, Flavius' pact with the demon was still valid.

Demons were interesting creatures whose true home was the plane of darkness known to Muggles as Hell. The universe is divided into two planes; a plane of light and a plane of darkness. The plane of light is the realm of earth; the world that Muggles and Wizards share together. The plane of darkness is a world of wild, untamed magic and lightning-streaked skies that some call Hell. Wizards were special because they possessed elements of both realms and could manipulate them to their choosing. On one hand, their mortality made them of the plane of light, on the other, their magic made them of the plane of darkness. All magic comes from the darkness and demons are wild manifestations of the dark magic. They are unpredictable and immortal, but also play by a specific set of rules that they cannot break. Lords of the Woods and Necromancers are the only wizards who can control demons or make alliances with them. This is because demons are creatures as well as elementals of death and magic. They are not really evil, but the aura of darkness that surrounded them, that feel of untamed magic, can often be interpreted as the feel of pure evil. Demons usually stay in Hell, but at Gateways and Dark Chapels, consecrated by death sacrifice and made by Lords of the Woods or Necromancers, demons also gathered.

Quickly, Draco cast a few illusion spells to fool any bystanders and tourists who might be looking his way. Dropping the Invisibility Cloak to the floor, he cast a spell circle around the Gateway. Almost immediately, the fragment of jawbone began to glow with a dark light and a swirling vortex of dark magic streaked with white lightning shot out of the grass and into the sky. "Who calls me?" boomed a deep rolling voice, "Who disturbs the peaceful sleep of Asmodeus of Rome?"

"It is I," Draco Malfoy, Heir to Flavius de Malfias and the Lord of the Woods," replied Draco in a clear, determined voice, "You will obey me!"

A dark chuckle filled the arena, "I, obey you? Don't make me laugh, you are only a child!"

Draco frowned and drew the sword of Artemis out from under his robes. "You will obey me!" he said again in a steely voice, "Listen to me well, Asmodeus, I am the Heir of Artemis!"

The light wavered for a second and then disappeared, revealing a huge, winged demon. He stared at Draco curiously, "You interest me, boy. Artemis is no fool, why did she choose you as the next Lord of the Woods?"

"That is none of your business," replied Draco coolly, "The pact that you made with Flavius still holds and I will command your power!"

"And just what will you have me do?" asked the demon in an angry, hissing voice.

"I would have you help me defeat another demon," said Draco truthfully.

"We do not fight each other, "It is one of our rules."

"This demon has taken possession of a member of the Malfoy family, and it is your duty to protect the House of Malfoy, is it not?" asked Draco lightly, "Besides, I do not ask you to fight him. Only to guard my back while I do so."

"Hmmmm," rumbled Asmodeus thoughtfully, "This is indeed interesting. Very well, little Master, I shall help you. What will you have me do?"

Lorenzo paced restlessly, "What do you mean he's a Lord of the Woods?"

"Not just a Lord of the Woods," gasped Galien, "The Lord of the Woods. I'm telling you, Master, you don't want to fight him."

Lorenzo shot him a deadly glare, "We've worked too hard to give up now. Besides, don't you like your new body?"

Galien shifted uncomfortably, "Master, this body is beautiful. However, it is not worth tangling with Artemis' Heir for."

Lorenzo froze, "There is something else we can do."

"Like what?" asked Galien curiously.

A small smile of cruelty played on Lorenzo's lips, "You'll see."

Fleur checked the clock and frowned. Draco was late. He was supposed to be back from Rome half an hour ago. If he were not back in time for his duel, he would automatically forfeit. Getting up from the desk, Fleur walked over to the bed where her gown for tonight lay; ready to go. The gown had been chosen specifically for her by Draco, a beautiful Armani confection of heavy, black, crushed velvet encrusted by diamonds.

Carefully, she slipped into the black gown and carefully pinned up her long, blonde hair into a braided bun at the top of her head. From the dressers she got a pair of diamond earrings and a necklace to match. Pulling on a pair of soft, black, velvet gloves, she checked her appearance one last time in the mirror before turning to leave.

Fleur's eyes widened in surprise as she felt a hand clamp over her mouth, stifling her scream of surprise. Desperately, she tried to fight off her attacker but to no avail. A damp cloth was swiftly pressed over her nose and, a moment later, she had passed out.

Draco left the Venetian Floo station, half an hour late and a bit dirty around the edges from the soot. Draco frowned. Never was he ever going to take public transportation again! It was one thing to use the express Floo system installed in Malfoy Manor, and another altogether to use the economy class systems installed in the Floo stations. If only he were old enough to have his Apparation license!

Breaking into a half run, Draco quickly hailed a gondola and headed towards the palazzo. It had been raining all day and a heavy fog hung over the canals, shielding everything from sight and making travel on the gondolas treacherous and slow. The dim shape of the palazzo had just come into view, when four dark shapes sprang out of the water and attacked the small gondola. Instantaneously, Draco's shields snapped into place, followed by another dark shield that could only have been cast by Asmodeus. The gondolier was swiftly dispatched before Draco could even reach for his wand and another shape was already plummeting towards him.

"No," cautioned Asmodeus just as he was going to cast a spell, "These are lesser demons, probably servants of your Lorenzo. Let me deal with them." Draco nodded and a moment later, Asmodeus' form flickered into view. Immediately, the smaller demons chattered in fright and took to the skies. A few moments later, they were gone.

"They've probably gone to report to their Master," growled Asmodeus, "There's another trap at the front door. A killing curse in a Mordian knot that even I cannot undo. You'll have to get in through the side door."

Draco paled but nodded. Determinedly, he grabbed the pole and quickly steered the gondola to a small landing dock at the back of the palazzo. Furtively, he crept through a back door usually reserved for the servants. The door behind him slammed shut, causing Draco to jump in surprise. A moment latter, the lights flickered on and Lorenzo Malfoy stepped out of the shadows.

Draco's cool gray eyes narrowed slightly as Lorenzo walked slowly up to him, but did not flinch when he caressed Draco's cheek. Lorenzo frowned.

"You are cunning to have gotten past the demons," crooned Lorenzo gently, "Although I wouldn't have expected less of the Lord of the Woods. However, the game ends here."

"Are you sure?" asked Draco with a mysterious smile, "This is a dangerous dance. I wouldn't consider it finished until one of us lies dead."

"Ah, but with the right leverage, even a dangerous dance can become predictable," replied Lorenzo, "We have your fiancée. Unless you surrender, she will be killed. Even if you do not, I will not allow you out of this room."

"You cannot win against me," said Draco carefully, "I am the Lord of the Woods."

Lorenzo ran a finger down the line of Draco's jaw, "But I do not need to win, only delay you long enough for your duel to become forfeit."

Draco closed his eyes, "I see. I'm sorry to have to do this to you. Come out Asmodeus!"

Lorenzo swore and reached for his wand but Draco struck out with his hand, knocking the wand across the room. Lorenzo turned towards Draco, eyes flashing with anger, but it was already too late. Asmodeus struck with a bolt of black light that left Lorenzo unconscious. Quickly, Draco whispered a spell and ropes shot out of his wand, wrapping themselves around Lorenzo.

Take care of him," said Draco, "Make sure he doesn't wake up until I get back. I've got to go!" Quickly, he sprinted up the stairs into the small servant's room connected to the dining room, stopping a moment to catch his breath before stepping into the dining room.

Lineas, or rather Galien, spun around in shock and gaped as a very cool and composed looking Draco Malfoy glided onto the dueling floor, wand in hand. Turning towards the Patriarch's table, Draco said, "Please, forgive my tardiness. I was delayed."

The Tribunal nodded coldly, "Continue."

Draco bowed with a flourish and turned to face his opponent. A lazy, cat smile spread across his pointed face but his eyes were sharp and calculating. Galien gulped and raised his own wand. He would have to strike hard, go for a fast kill before Draco had a chance to respond.

"Avada Kedavra!" hissed Galien. Draco barely had enough time to jump to the side as a bolt of green light shot past him. Swiftly, he curled himself into a ball as he fell and landed gently on his feet.

"Canis Lethe!" said Draco as he waved his wand in a half moon circle. At once, thick smoke formed a circle around Draco and a low growl emanated from within the smoke.

Galien frowned and raised his wand. "Stupefy!" he shouted, and a bolt of light pierced the smoke, causing something to yelp in pain, something that didn't sound human.

"The blood shall call to the blood," echoed Draco, "The hellhounds can hear your blood sing. Come out, demon, and release your hold on this man!" Galien was swiftly brought down to his knees by the piercing pain of exorcism. Two giant, black hellhounds leapt out of the shadows towards him, pinning Galien to the floor. The smoke cleared and a cool, composed Draco Malfoy glided towards his opponent.

Draco smiled coldly at the man trembling in the vice-like grip of the hellhounds. Closing his eyes, he muttered a spell under his breath. A stone altar carved with ancient runes shimmered into view. On top of it lay a silver, sacrificial knife and bowl.

"Wait!" gasped Galien just as Draco reached for the knife, "I'm not Lineas! My name is Galien, I am a demon possessing the body of this man! Please, I will release him on the condition that you bring no harm to my brothers!"

"And what of yourself, demon?" asked Draco curiously, "Do you include yourself in this deal?"

Galien hesitated, "I take full responsibility for what I've done. However, do not punish my brothers. The fault of the leader is not the fault of his men."

Draco paused, "Very well then, I accept your terms. Release him."

Lineas groaned and looked around at the black, rocky landscape that surrounded him. Where was he? Above, the sky was filled with alternating flashes of darkness and lightning. He shivered as a wave of cold, deep fear passed over him.

"Where am I?" he whispered as he stumbled clumsily to his feet. Lineas screamed in pain and clutched at his chest. Shit! What was happening to him? It felt, literally, as though someone was trying to rip his heart out.

"Ah, you are awake at last, I see," said a light, musical voice from behind him. Lineas spun around and stared, uncomprehendingly, at the beautiful, young woman standing before him. She had long, golden hair that fell in waves down to her waist. Her skin was milky white and her eyes were a clear blue, the color of summer skies.

"Who are you?" gasped Lineas as he stumbled back from her, then a thought occurred to him, "Are you trapped here too?"

She shook her head sadly, 'I am Ianthe," she replied in her lyrical voice, "And this is Hell. You were sent here when a demon took possession of your body. I've been looking after you since then."

"Demon?" asked Lineas as Ianthe's words sunk in, "Oh God, Lorenzo, what have you done to me?"

"Shhh!" admonished Ianthe gently, "They'll hear you."

"What are you?" whispered Lineas fearfully, "What do you want with me?"

"I am a Guardian," said Ianthe softly, "Once, I was a witch. When my time came, I was offered an alternative. Instead of staying in the endless circle of death and rebirth, I could remain as I am and forever guard the Gates between the planes."

"Then you can send me back?" asked Lineas desperately, "You can make this right!"

Ianthe shook her head sadly, "No, I can't. You aren't an unwary traveler who stumbled into this plane and so I cannot deal with you as I would normally and send you back. For better or worse, you now have a part to play in the greater destiny of the world."

"But how am I supposed to get out of this place, then?" asked Lineas.

"Ianthe smiled, "I think your help is already here. Look!" Lineas whirled around and stared in awe as a bolt of golden light shot down from the sky, encompassing him in a shower of gold.

"Farewell, traveler," whispered Ianthe as Lineas slowly began to dissolve into the light, "Remember what you have learned."

Lineas opened his eyes to harsh, blinding light and immediately squeezed them shut. A few moments later, he cautiously opened his eyes again. The room came into focus and Lineas realized that he was lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling of Lorenzo's dining room. He groaned and began to crawl slowly to his feet, but the darkness returned and the last thing he remembered before he passed out were a pair of strong hands, supporting him.

Draco slowly lowered the unconscious man to the floor and turned his attention to the demon that had been in possession of him. Even Draco had to wince at the obviously poor health the demon was in. The fur on his back was dull and matted, even ripped away in some places and ribs could be easily seen, sticking out of his lean flanks. The demon limped wearily over to Lineas. After a moment, he said, "He'll be alright, but he'll need to sleep for a few hours at least." Draco nodded coolly and turned to signal to the servants hovering the door.

Turning his attention back to the demon, Draco asked, "What is your name again?"

"Galien," replied the demon shakily.

"Well Galien," said Draco softly, "Go down to the Dark Chapel and tell your brothers to go home. They are freed from any obligations they owe still to the world of mortals." Galien nodded and quickly scampered away to do Draco's bidding.

Finally, Draco turned his attention to the Council of Patriarchs and asked respectfully, "Will my Lords recognize a winner in this duel?"

The Tribunal replied solemnly, "The winner is clearly Draco Malfoy. The Patriarchs will need to talk to you later, but for now, you are all dismissed."

Draco nodded and turned to leave in a swirl of black robes.

Lorenzo groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Gingerly, he tested his bonds but found that they were too strong to break without magic.

"Finally awake?" growled a deep, rumbling voice behind him. Lorenzo stiffened and slowly craned his head back to gape, dumbfounded, at the huge demon that stood behind him.

"Who are you?" gasped Lorenzo.

"He is my guardian demon," replied Draco coolly as he entered the kitchen from the servant's stair.

"It is over, isn't it?" asked Lorenzo emptily, "Galien surrendered."

Draco hesitated, "Yes."

"You have condemned me to death then," said Lorenzo bitterly.

"I have condemned no one," said Draco carefully, "You condemned yourself when you chose to act against me."

"I have failed the Dark Lord and betrayed my House," continued Lorenzo, heedless of Draco's words, "It is only a matter of time before I am either killed by the Patriarchs or by HIM."

"I have not betrayed you to the Council," said Draco neutrally, "You are a Lord of the Woods. I have my own reasons for saving you."

"If you really want to save me, then kill me!" snarled Lorenzo, "I cannot run from the Dark Lord. Sparing my life will only condemn me to a worse death."

Draco froze, "You've been marked, haven't you? You bear the Dark Mark."

"Yes," replied Lorenzo through gritted teeth, "What does that matter to you?"

"If I could contain the Dark Mark, keep you safe from Lord Voldemort, would you follow me loyally?" asked Draco slowly, "Would you recognize me as your liege lord?"

"Why are you doing this?" asked Lorenzo suspiciously.

"I just told you," replied Draco patiently, "You're a Lord of the Woods, I may need you in the future."

"I would serve even the Devil himself for another chance," answered Lorenzo quietly.

"Swear your loyalty to me," said Draco coldly, "Swear it and you shall have your chance."

Lorenzo hesitated, "I swear."

"A wizard's oath," said Draco icily.

"I swear my allegiance to you on my honor as a wizard," said Lorenzo, "Good enough?"

"Give me your arm," said Draco, ignoring Lorenzo's question. Hesitantly, Lorenzo pushed up his sleeve and revealed the Dark Mark that had been branded into his arm. Draco hissed at the sight of it, repulsed by the abomination Voldemort had created. Slowly, Draco placed his hands over the mark and closed his eyes. Green light began to glow, illuminating Draco and Lorenzo in its unearthly glow. A moment later, he removed his hands. The mark was still there, but it had been trapped, encircled by a green vine that twirled itself around the skull.

"It is finished," said Draco wearily, "There is no way to completely remove the mark. However, I have been able to seal its power. You can no longer be hurt or found by it as long as your oath to me stands. If you betray me, the seal will disappear and you will be at the mercy of Voldemort, understand?"

Lorenzo nodded warily, "Yes, my Lord."

"Good, then get out," said Draco coldly, "Go to England, you shall be offered sanctuary at my manor. Remember, Voldemort thinks you're dead. Let's keep it that way for now.

Fleur woke to the dim glow of a hundred, flickering candles. Groaning, she tried to sit up but realized that she had been chained to a cool, marble altar. Holy shit, what had happened? Calm down, she told herself, remember your training. Slowly, she sank into the state of heightened self- awareness that she had been taught. In this state of calm, the lighted part of the room came into sharp focus. Fleur felt her pulse quicken and her breath catch as her eyes passed over the spell circle. With a feeling of dread, she lowered her eyes to the altar and barely managed to stifle a scream. She was in a Dark Chapel, chained to the surface of a Dark Altar, waiting for who knows what. An edge of panic crept into her mind. No, this was wrong, she could not panic. She was an Auror-trained spy, damn it! A moment later, she noticed the silver, sacrificial knife lying just out of reach. Fleur smiled and shifted her head to the side, concentrating her magic towards the knife. This was the tricky part. Too little magic, and the knife wouldn't move at all. Too much, and the knife would come flying towards her, probably cutting off a couple of fingers along the way. This was the problem with wandless magic.

Slowly, she focused her energy, sending a slow, steady stream towards the knife. A moment later, she had her fingers twined around the hilt. The chains, although unbreakable, were loose enough for Fleur to move her arms a little, enough to be able to throw the knife and kill the bastard who had brought her here.

Idly, she wondered where Draco could be. Had he returned from Rome? Had he been captured? Surely not! Fleur was wrenched from her idle musings by a sound at the door. A moment later, the door opened and a dark figure entered.

Fleur lost no time and cocked her arm back, throwing the knife with all her strength towards the intruder. Cursing, he jumped to the side but it was too late. The knife hit him in the shoulder, bringing him down to his knees. Fleur swore, she only had that one shot, and, unluckily for her, it hadn't been a killing blow.

"Fleur!" gasped the fallen figure, "It's me! It's Draco!"

End

Well, how did you like it? Grin This is one of my favorite chapters mostly because so much happens in a really short amount of time. Personally, my favorite scene is the one with Voldemort and McNair. It becomes really important next chapter, you'll see why when I finally post it. Harry will also play a bigger role next chapter as the setting shifts away from Venice and back to Hogwarts. As for Draco and his wound, who knows? I haven't really decided much about it. shrugs helplessly I guess you'll have to wait and see, huh?

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It's been a while, but hopefully, next chapter will be up within the next two weeks.

Note to Lady Lestat: Thanks for reminding me that I still had to finish this story. I had it in the back of my mind, I swear! Anyways, I was actually writing a dark fic called "Dawn Over Italy" for the Vampire Chronicles. It was mainly meant to be a story for myself since I can't post it, but if you want, I can send it to you. It's a conclusion to the story of Daniel and Armand since Rice has yet to offer one.

Note on Above: If anyone else wants to read that fic, tell me and I can send it to you on email!