Title: The Myth of Innocence
Author: Catalina Royce
Disclaimer: These stories are based on characters and situations created
and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,
Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made
and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Rating: R
The kiss didn't last long. And for a Malfoy and the new 'bad ass' of the school, it was remarkably chaste. Virginia pulled back a second later, looking slightly baffled and disappointed. "Oh, well, I guess..." She coughed and looked away.
There was an awkward silence, then Draco asked tenderly, "What's wrong?"
She cursed the damned Veritaserum, and Draco's advantage over her. "I guess I always thought kissing would be..better."
It was with shock that Draco realised two things. The first was that he was Virginia's first kiss. The second was that she was disappointed with the kiss! "It usually is," he whispered, a smirk playing over his face.
"Oh. It's me then?" He could only describe her face as crushed. No woman liked to believe she was undesirable, and Virginia had absolutely no experience with men – and what men thought of her. She wouldn't know that he thought her anything but undesirable; the tightening in his lower stomach was evidence of that.
"Actually, Kitten, it's that fact that the kiss was barely more than a peck." He drawled his answer out, eyes slowly sweeping over her. His pride chafed that a woman wouldn't appreciate his kissing – and other abilities – and damned if he was going to let her ruin his reputation.
"Oh. What's the difference?"
He couldn't believe they'd gotten into this discussion. He couldn't believe he was getting aroused from this discussion. "It's hard to describe," he whispered, his voice slightly deeper. "I'd have to show you at the same time." Her eyes softened and dropped to his mouth. She nibbled on her bottom lip, indecisive as to whether or not to take the plunge. She knew what kissing him would mean, what kissing him would eventually lead to. Today, tomorrow, a month from now; eventually they'd end up in bed together. And not in the purely platonic way they'd been sleeping together, either.
She took a step towards him, eyes focused on his mouth. "Teach me," she whispered. Her chocolate eyes were giving him permission to take this as far as he wanted to – as far as he dared.
He was glad now he'd soundproofed the room.
He sat her on the bed, then resting beside her. "First thing is the peck," he instructed. "Which is what you just did to me before. You seem to have that down pat." He grinned at her, taking in her hair tumbling around her shoulders, her eyes almost feverish with excitement. "After the peck comes the pash." He felt a wave of heat run up his cheeks, and realised he was blushing. Blushing. Of all the embarrassing things to do, he had to blush. But he'd never actually explained how to have sex, and all that involved. He'd just done it.
He shrugged mentally. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head, then leant in and kissed her lips softly. She sighed – whether in impatience or happiness, he didn't know – and he took advantage of that, slipping his tongue to brush inside her mouth. She gasped in surprise; she really was an innocent.
He chuckled and kissed her again, and this time she responded to him, sliding her arms around his neck and drawing him closer. She was reluctant to continue when she obviously knew nothing about what to do, but decided just to follow his lead.
He grinned against her lips. "Who would have thought that you were so innocent? Not that I mind, of course," he reassured her. "It'll be a change – and an honour – to be your first."
He kissed her, and she was lost in the sensation of it. He was right; kissing was a lot better than a peck, and a lot different. If she'd known that it was so pleasant, she would have started a long time ago.
His comment registered on her conscious, and she pulled away from him. "What makes you think that?"
"Hmm?" He asked, still distracted.
"That I'm an innocent."
He grinned, his teeth flashing at her. He looked marvellous in this light – all ice and shadows, his hair mussed from their 'lesson'. "Virginia, darling," he drawled, "You haven't even been kissed before. Anyone could tell that."
Her face closed over, worried and tense. Her eyebrows drew together into a frown. "That doesn't necessarily mean I'm a virgin. Actually, I'm not a virgin."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AREN'T A VIRGIN?" He yelled. He seemed to take it the same way Ron would have, had Ron ever found out. She didn't understand his annoyance. He'd screwed other girls who weren't, so why was she the exception?
"I've had sex."
"Who-" A tapping on the door interrupted him. She and peeked outside, surprised to see Errol, wings flapping feverishly as he struggled to stay afloat. His feathers were ruffled and sticking out oddly, and clasped in his feet was a scarlet envelope. Virginia winced, then grabbed the letter. Errol flew off, not even bothering to refresh himself. It was evident to Virginia at least how very stifling the Slytherin dorms were. Idly, she wondered how Errol had gotten in, but didn't bother to mull over what was probably a very simple explanation.
Her face was set in a grimace, and she was holding the Howler between thumb and forefinger, arm extended. She and Ginny both hated Howlers; had been lucky enough not to have received one before now, and she wasn't looking forward to listening to this one, either.
"Where do I put it?"
Jaw clenched, a muscle in his cheek ticking, he pointed to his bedside table, a mahogany wonder. It was beautiful, and, hopefully, flame resistant. She set it down gently, and then carefully opened the envelope. Molly Weasley's voice echoed through the dorm.
"VIRGINIA ARNICA WEASLEY! I'M ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED...LETTER FROM RON, TELLS US THAT YOU'RE CONSORTING WITH A SLYTHERIN...DIDN'T BRING YOU UP LIKE THAT...DRACO MALFOY."
Virginia winced as Molly's voice – so loud that she wondered if the silencing charm would work – shrieked her fury. Draco smirked and Virginia looked down, embarrassed. The absolute volume of the voice echoed around the room, drowning out half the letter.
"...FATHER'S ENEMY...SO DISAPPOINTED...WAIT TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU... DRACO MALFOY!!!" There was a sigh, still magnified by a hundred, and then Molly said in a normal – albeit booming – voice, "We're very proud of you for the potions work. But if I hear ONE MORE WORD..." the rest of the threat was cut off as the echoes bounced around the stone room. The envelope burst into flames.
Draco's drawl cut into the sudden silence. "It's a good thing we aren't consorting, then, isn't it Virginia? I'd have to be afraid for my life, between the Dumb Duo, The Dream Team and your mother. Perhaps you should warn your lover."
She guessed, correctly, that he was referring to the Twins, Harry, Ron and Hermione. However, his last remark had her incensed. "I don't need to," she retorted caustically. "He wouldn't rightly murder himself, would he?"
"POTTER?" Draco was apoplectic. He looked ready to murder her right there and then. Perhaps the silencing charm wasn't such a good idea, after all.
"Yes, Potter."
"When?" He'd gone beyond furious. She understood now why most people feared the Malfoy's. He was cold with rage; so far gone he could probably kill without a second thought. Perhaps she'd better explain herself.
"I...it wasn't me." Her tone was placating, eyes pleading. "It was Ginny, although that doesn't really excuse it. Last year, near the end. On..on the anniversary of Sirius' death. Harry got drunk, so he wouldn't have to face the memories. And he said some things to her. Things that she construed to mean 'I love you.'"
She paused, eyes bitter at the memories of Ginny's foolishness, and the pain that it had caused them both. Harry had been drunk, and not at all gentle. When the pain was too much for Ginny, she'd called up Virginia to deal with it, retreating like she'd always done. Afterwards, she'd been crushed that Harry hadn't loved her; had, in fact, used her.
"He'd said things like, 'You know what I love about you,' and she read it wrong." Virginia shrugged, her actions belying the shame the memory brought to her. She had a lot of pride, and being used went against all she'd come to mean. "The next morning, Harry corrected her misapprehensions and went on his way. He was very nice about it, of course. Felt really terrible, actually, although he didn't say anything to Ron or Hermione."
Draco was silent, so Virginia, in her nervousness, started to babble. "I mean, it wasn't exactly a great start to the whole sex thing, but most girl's first times aren't great anyway, so I'm not exactly unusual, in that respect."
He accepted that explanation remarkably calmly, making a note to himself to repay Potter for hurting Blaise's friend. He dropped the topic for the moment. "Can you control Ginny's actions?"
"Ginny's mind, or body? I'm controlling her body now, aren't I?" She sighed and rubbed her temples. Even to her, their co-existence was confusing. "We can fight over who is dominant, and the dominant person controls this body. Ginny's always been better in a fight, because she's been in this body longer; she had a firmer hold on it. When she's dominant, I can only observe and comment to her. In her weak moments, or when she wants me to, I can take over with force – but it drains both of us, and we don't need that."
She started pacing around the dorm. Perhaps it was the Veritaserum, although quite a while had passed, what with all the interruptions. How long did Veritaserum last, anyway? But her thoughts had drifted away from her. Where had she been? She hadn't been this scatterbrained in, well, ever.
Perhaps it was the Veritaserum, but all of a sudden, she had a person who would listen to what she'd been bottling up for years, and so she took advantage of it, spilling out all her thoughts and theories of the past few years. "You see, what Ginny and I mean is that it's possible to create souls, and the Tom incident means you can ferry souls. You understand what this signifies?" She didn't wait for him to answer, just kept pacing and talking. "It means that if a person could find a way to harness their souls, they could...body jump. They could, in essence, stay alive forever. Immortality, and eternal youthfulness – if they changed bodies enough. No one's ever done it, because it's evil – taking over another person's life that is – but imagine if you could. I've been working on this theory for years, you see, and I think I'm almost done. I'd never attempt it, I'd just want to know you could."
Completing her rant, she slumped over onto Blaise's bed and burst into tears.
"I hate women," Draco informed Blaise as he entered the room. "And where the hell have you been?" Draco's tone was terse, his ruffled appearance a testimony to Virginia's emotional storm.
"I've been in the library, researching the effects of Veritaserum, ever since I realised what you'd done. I wanted to be prepared, especially considering how much you hate her. Where is she, by the way? ..And, why do you hate women?"
Draco shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet Blaise's eye. "What are the effects of Veritaserum? And how long does it last?"
"Depends on the person, apparently, and how many secrets they have. If they don't have many secrets, then it'll be over quickly. If they do..." he trailed off, and ran a hand through his hair. Draco and Blaise were remarkably alike, in both mannerisms and speech. They'd been brought up to the same rules and expectations, and their friendship was close enough for their quirks to rub off on each other. "Anyway, the signs that the Veritaserum storm is wearing off is usually characterised by mood swings, manic behaviour – pacing, inability to stay still – sometimes ranting, and, in worst cases, a severe form of apathy that can last for days." He cleared his throat, and the blonde boy knew there was more. "There have also be cases of arousal, where the victim has basically, erm, jumped someone's bones."
"Ah. That would explain the crying, then." Draco muttered. He left out the kiss he and Virginia had shared. The Veritaserum was a very reasonable explanation as to why she'd been so eager to kiss him. It didn't explain his reaction, though.
"The- what the hell did you do to her, Draco?" Blaise stood up, his dark face flushed with anger. "Where is she?"
"Oh, she's fine. I left her with Pansy. And she's joined our group of friends."
Blaise ignored the latter statement and concentrated on the first. "Pansy! Are you insane? She hates Virginia." Blaise stormed up to the girls' dorms, ready to be Virginia's knight in shining armour. Draco followed behind, feeling suitably chastened. After all, he'd given Virginia enough to deal with today without saddling her with someone who hated her. He just hadn't realised that they did.
They heard voices as they neared the Seventh-year girls' dorms. One was slightly quavering, as if they'd been crying. The boys could identify that as Virginia's. The other two were indignant, although Pansy's seemed to be gossipy. "Yeah, Malfoy's a bastard, always has been. I've known him since we were little – we've been betrothed since we entered Hogwarts. It's amusing with him around, though. Everyone bows to your every whim. And since he's always pretty much acknowledged me as his, and everyone's known about the engagement, what I want was always translated to mean what he wants. But I still can't believe he'd go that far."
There was a slight sniffle. "Well he did."
Millicent Bulstrode cut in. "He got a letter from his father today, though, which means you have to allow for moodiness."
Out in the hall, Blaise sent an amused look to Draco. Draco flushed. "I am not moody," he whispered in an emphatic tone.
Blaise just raised an eyebrow and knocked on the door. "Virginia?" He opened the door.
Millicent, Pansy and Virginia were lounging on Pansy's bed, looking like the picture of innocence. For all the bad rap that the Dream Team gave her, Pansy wasn't that horrid looking. She was blonde and blue eyed, with an innocent quality that managed to deceive many people. It was her attitude that gave her the pug-faced look. Millicent, however, was as ugly as a troll; she hadn't changed since her first year, when she walked in looking more like Crabbe and Goyle than a female. Her hair had grown a little, but other than that, they could have been brothers.
"Draco!" Pansy exclaimed, her face alight with malicious joy. "We were just talking about you."
"I know." His face was set in a glower, stormy grey eyes narrowed. "I heard." He straightened up, letting his expression fall back into its normal icy demeanour. "I need to borrow Virginia, if you don't mind?"
"Oh, not at all," she giggled. "But.." she paused and raised her hand, continuing in a delicate voice. "I do wonder if it's perhaps..prudent..for Virginia to be sleeping in the boys' dorms. She can always sleep with us, Draco. It'd certainly cause less fuss."
Both Draco and Blaise objected to that idea. Virginia looked at them both and shrugged, then excused herself. When they were in the hallway, Blaise pulled her aside. "Look, Frecks, I think I should warn you about Pansy. She and Millicent are in our little clique," he deliberately emphasised the word so that she'd understand they were talking about their group of renegades, "however, Pansy looks out for Pansy and no one else. It would give her great pleasure for you to end up hating us."
Virginia nodded, and Draco interrupted the scene with his two cents. "Don't call her Frecks. It doesn't suit her."
"Because you know her, oh, so well." His tone was incredibly sarcastic.
"I do now."
Blaise didn't like that answer at all. Virginia was his friend, and he should know her best. But because of the damned stunt Draco'd pulled, that right was taken away from him. He glared at Draco's back and followed them into the common room.
Author's Note: So much for not having many Author's Notes, hey? I've scrapped the 'please' competition, because no one was participating, heh. Anyway, this chapter has been my favorite chapter so far. It was so much fun to write the kiss and the mood swings, and I was laughing through it all. I hope you all liked the chapter. It would really mean a lot if you reviewed and told me what you thought of this chapter; I love it so much.