Chapter 6: - Indulgences

They watched the sun as it rose, turning the sky from a watery grey to a brilliant bronze, and then to a magnificent sky blue.

They had sat for over an hour leaning against the balustrades of the astronomy tower, Draco still clutching Isabeau's hand tightly in his own as though he was fearful that if he let go she would leave him.

But Isabeau had no intentions of leaving Draco, she had completely misunderstood this man, she had never known that there was such a kindness within him. They spent the day sitting and talking on top of the tower, safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't be interrupted as the tower was only used at nights. They talked about nothing; it was small talk really, about the different things that they liked, people they disliked and the classes that they found difficult. Isabeau knew that there where questions that Draco wanted her to answer and she found that the more they talked the more that she dreaded him asking her. He talked about his family and how he thought his parents expected too much from him, how people treated him just because he was a Malfoy and how, despite his popularity, he felt so very much alone.

"It's expected of me" Draco said solemnly as Isabeau rested her head on his lap and he gently caressed her hair with his fingers "People don't want to know the real me, they just want to know the Malfoy me. The Draco that's strong, well liked and doesn't care what others think of him! But inside I don't feel like I'm any of those things"

"I know what you mean" Isabeau said and before she knew it she found herself confiding in Draco about the life she had once had back in France, Of the friends she had turned away from and the anguish that she had felt for her mother and how she had thought that only Snape could heal her of that pain.

"How did she die?" He asked quietly as his hand gently shifted her hair giving him a better view of her features as the sun continued its arch in the sky "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to...?"

Isabeau smiled nervously her first instincts were to lie. But that wouldn't have been fair on Draco, he had confided in her his deepest secrets and this knowledge made Isabeau want to finally tell another being her own.

Draco didn't interrupted her once as she talked; he sat holding her close to his chest as they both looked out towards the slowly setting sun, Isabeau feeling for once happy and contented, she had never even told Snape how she had been responsible for her mothers death, how it had been her fault that they had came. She had just turned seventeen and was home for the summer holidays. To celebrate her birthday her old friends from Beauxbatons had arranged a party for her at a local Muggle nightclub, but because of the increased sighting of you know who Isabeau's mother had forbidden her to go.

On reflection Isabeau would have described herself as being a spoiled child, she was an only child and always got what she wanted. She had lived alone with her mother in a luxurious house in the outskirts of Paris, she had had the most finest of things, And so a little thing like her mothers wishes wasn't going to prevent that Isabeau from doing what she wanted.

Isabeau found herself telling Draco how she had snuck out of the house late at night how she had celebrated with her friends into the early hours of the morning and how she had returned as the night's sky was slowly fading into a slivery grey. Choking on her own words as she relived the memory as Draco sat silently gently rubbing her back as she told him how she had returned to find a large emerald snake entwining itself around a skull, protruding out of its grotesque mouth like hundreds of green stars blazing in the sky above her home.

At this revelation Isabeau noted how Draco's body stiffened slightly next to hers and how his rhythmic massaging of her back had suddenly halted it's progress, but Isabeau was just glad to have someone who was willing to listen and so she continued as her voice began to crack. She spoke of how she had been the first to enter the house after the attack, how she had frantically searched every room to find her mother and how when she had finally found her mothers body, her small delicate frame with hair that matched exactly to Isabeau's was strewn across her own bed, battered, bruised, half naked and a look of immense terror and pain spread across her otherwise kindly features.

Isabeau cried as she confessed to Draco how before she had even been born her mother had fled England, from her past life and even though the terror that had been wide spread throughout Brittan hadn't fully penetrated France Isabeau's mother had always tried to shield her from the life that she had tried to leave behind, from the horrors that had plagued the country and from the man that had been Isabeau's father.

Isabeau knew nothing of her mothers past life until that night when she had seen her mothers limp body, where burning on her forearm was a jet black tattoo of the same designed skull and snake that blazed above her house.

Isabeau's mother's parents had always been disappointed in their child, and took great pleasure in telling their even more disappointing granddaughter about her mothers sordid past of how after leaving Hogwarts Isabeau's mother had met a tall dark haired young man, who had encouraged her to join and to meet with the wrong sort of people with him. How Isabeau's mother claimed that she loved this man and how he had eventually gotten their daughter pregnant. Isabeau's tears fell even more as she explained how she felt responsible for her mother's death, how if she had stayed in the house like her mother had wanted then she could have saved her mother from the fate that befell her.

Draco held her tightly as he kissed her tears softly as they rolled down her cheeks. Smiling through the tears Isabeau returned Draco's affections as she kissed him lightly on the lips and they held each other close as their hands began to once more explore each others bodies and they were once again pulling at each others clothing, freeing the other of the restrictiveness of the garments as Draco positioned himself across her bare and exposed form. Draco's lips caressed Isabeau's cheeks as his breath warmed her skin as he lay on top of her.

"Tell me you love me!" He demanded as he moved his hand downwards and she moaned in pleasure as his hands touched her, teasing her, reminding her of the pleasures that he was willing to offer her and their now shared pains.

"I-do-love-you" she sighed through the pleasure and he teased her once more and the wave of pleasure and warmth spread through her entire body. Draco smiled contently before he pushed himself hard into her making her wince.

It wasn't until the sun had finally began to set and the clouds darkened as the heavens opened in a down pure of chilling rain that they fled from the roof of the astronomy tower, Draco tightly holding Isabeau's hand as he led her back towards their dungeon common room their clothing leaving a trial of water droplets as they ran,

"Miss Navarre!" Called the all too familiar voice of their head of house as they passed the potions classroom, Isabeau dropped Draco's hand as Snape stalked into the corridor, glaring at them.

"A word please Miss Navarre?" Snape said indicating that he wished her to enter the class room, his features wore their usual scowl but a murderous glint was sparkling in his eyes as he glared at Draco.

Isabeau's stomach lurched as she looked between her two lovers, she had no desire to be anywhere private and secluded with Snape ever again, now that she had know real love the memories of her nights with Snape made her skin crawl. Draco had shown her a love that had surpassed that of the old and tired potions masters. Draco was young vibrant and alive, their love for each other was beyond words and feelings. But Isabeau feared the younger mans safety as they all stood in the darkened corridor and so reluctantly she entered the classroom.

"Where have you been?!?" Snape raged as he closed the door behind him. His voice was almost hysterical, the sudden change from his low hiss only a moment before made Isabeau recoil slightly from him,

"I'm sorry" he whispered softly as he pulled her into a embrace, his black robes folding around her as they engulfed her in their depths and he held her tightly, his head resting on hers "It's just that.....I'm concerned for you...First you run out on me, then you don't show up for lessons and then I wait for you hoping that you will come but you never do! What's wrong? Did I offend you?" he asked his last question as he tried unsuccessfully to look her in the eye.

"I had a headache" Isabeau lied as she pulled free from him "I Just don't feel too good"

"You're looking a little pale" he commented as he placed his hand on her forehead feeling it's dampness from the rain "You and Malfoy shouldn't be out in this weather you'll both get I'll. Maybe you have a cold coming? you should go to Madam Pomfrey"

Isabeau tried to reassure Snape that she wasn't ill and that the heat that he could feel was because she had been very energetic that afternoon, but he wouldn't listen to Isabeau's protests and insisted that he escort her to the school infirmary, where the matron, Madam Pomfrey ran lots of different and unusual tests as the matron tutted and shook her head continuously.

"Well it's final!" The old nurse said as she emerged from her office holding a small vile of urine that she had made Isabeau give her. Pomfrey's looked was a very grim one and she looked at Isabeau with an expression of deep disappointment

"You should really take more care of your students Severus" she said bitterly as she threw Snape a furious look "Allowing them to run amok in that house of theirs-"

"What's wrong?" Isabeau cut across madam Pomfrey, Isabeau's head was slightly spinning and she was even now beginning to feel I'll.

"I'm afraid, young miss Navarre that your pregnant my dear!"

"Pregnant?" Snape asked his voice a mixture of shock and amusement as he turned to look at Isabeau and a smile spread across his usual sardonic features, betraying his true emotions.

"Preg-no but I can't be" Isabeau said blankly, her head was really spinning now, she had always been careful, she had always used protection.

"Well the results beg to differ" the matron said tartly as she held the urine vile up "Your Pregnant and your at least a few days gone, you'll be due in march"