Dark Temptations

A/N: Hello again, though you might have noticed this earlier, the title also starts with 'dark', just like the Dark Series. I hadn't even noticed. Oops, haha-at least you guys like it! Well, I'm trying to get this one done in a hurry so I have enough time to try and get my thoughts together. Though I don't normally gloat, I do have to say to myself 'I am a genius.' The end of this story is going to be brilliant! Well, it depends on how you look at it. Anyway, thank you for still reviewing and as always, suggestions are welcome! And for my friends who read but refuse to review, do you really think I'm like Lolita? Woah- that's just too strange.

Once again I would like to show my thanks to Skyla! You're the greatest!

Disclaimer: . . . Must we go through this procedure again? Well, actually, I do own Lolita, just not her last name. Heehee. . .

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 5-Shielded Thoughts

Standing in front of the doors to the Great Hall, Harry gave Dumbledore and Draco a skeptical look. He had held Draco's hand all the way here. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, Lolita standing right behind him.

"Just act normal, Harry," Dumbledore instructed. They had left Gregori in his office in the dungeons to sleep some more before classes began. "Remember, Lolita is your distant cousin who has moved here upon request of her father job."

Draco gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Just make sure she doesn't get near any unguarded throats," he warned teasingly.

"I can take perfectly care of myself, DeeDee," she said, smiling at Draco's shocked and peeved expression, both at the same time. "Gregori isn't my mental guardian, you know."

"But you have to try and help Harry with his new discovery," Dumbledore said, "he has never had an open mental link unguarded like this. It will be a new experience and it could be painful for him finding out some truths he had rather not known."

Lolita gave him a confused look for a moment, then seemed to understand. "So what you want me to do is try to help him rebuild that mental blockage that was torn somewhat?"

"It's not really to rebuild," Dumbledore continued, ignoring Harry's horror-stricken face at not fully understanding each meaning, "he just has an opening that should be covered up with something."

"I'll see what I can do," she said, turning Harry's head so that he was forced to look into her intense blue ones. "Draco, you had better help me," she shot over his shoulder, looking at the worry-faced boy. "It's also your fault that it's opened up so much more."

Harry didn't quite understand, but he could feel other things around him, not only those of the people present. Harry was quite sure he felt something disruptive near by, not to cause real harm, but-

"SURPRISE!" a shrilling voice yelled behind them, causing them to duck when three heavy books flew over their heads, nearly knocking down Dumbledore's hat.

"Peeves!" Draco yelled, angry that he had tried to hurt Harry, let alone even be there. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Ooh, aren't we all supreme?" he asked, twisting about in the air. "The ickle-first year became a snobby seventeen-o."

"Don't make me get the bloody Baron, Peeves," Dumbledore threatened. "He would surely enjoy flogging you, for having missed you the whole summer."

"'Missed me' my ass," he spat, "that creep never left my side! Always being around the next corner, always watching me from the shadows-he's a freaking Stalker!" he shrieked, outraged at the way his life was going. "It's all for the birds!"

"What about the bees?" came a deep voice from behind.

They all turned to see, it had come from the Bloody Baron himself. Harry turned paler than what he already was, Draco seeing this and gathering him up in his arms, even against Harry's cries of protest.

"Draco, what-?" Harry started, only to be interrupted by the Bloody Baron.

"My, oh my, Peeves," he began in a low, cool voice, "causing trouble so early in the morning?"

Peeves looked around uneasily, trying to edge away in mid air from his 'stalker'. "I haven't done anything, Baron," Peeves said, defending himself and moving back with each what would have been a heart beat. "I'm just greeting the headmaster."

The baron looked around at the people present, stared a moment at Lolita before gliding his vision over Harry and Draco. "Well, then," he bowed, "may you enjoy your breakfast." Then he began hovering away, but not until he glanced one last time at Peeves, who was grimacing in dislike and nervousness. The baron stayed there a moment longer, laughed out in his low and cool voice, then disappeared through the next hanging.

"Ooh, I knew I should have called that exorcist guy from that one movie," Peeves muttered to himself.

"Are you talking about that muggle video with the possessed girl?" Dumbledore asked in slight amusement.

"At least someone got to rest in peace!" he countered before vanishing himself.

Lolita slowly rose to her feet, looking at where the Bloody Baron had floated, a frown appearing on her face. "I know exactly I'm not one to judge relationships," she said in a slightly shaky voice, "but that right there is just sick!"

Harry had forgotten all about Draco's arms being around him, remembering when he was trying to get up, but with something holding him slightly bent over. "Draco, you can let go of me now," Harry said, his face tingeing rose.

Draco looked down on the top of Harry's head, then hastily let go as if he had been burned. "I'm sorry, Harry," he began as he started to get up and walk over to Lolita, "really, didn't mean to do anything."

Harry looked confused at him, but the color not leaving his face.

Lolita cleared her throat, so as to end the disturbing silence. "Are we going to rebuild the blockage or not?" she asked impatiently.

"Oh, right," Draco followed somewhat behind her, but never moving his gaze from when she held Harry's forehead to her own.

"Now don't do or think anything stupid," she warned him, closing her eyes as she concentrated, "you might begin to feel somewhat dizzy, but Draco will be right behind you."

Harry wasn't prepared for her face to be so close to his, blushing even more at how casual the gesture seemed to be to her. Wanting to say something as in question, his mind suddenly erased the words. His whole body was run through with an icy cold, his head aching like shards of glass splintering from within, each pulse bringing a flash of color before his eyes.

"Hold steady," she commanded him, not moving one bit from the thoughts she received from linking with Harry in so much of a gap.

Draco put his arms around Harry's shoulders, crossing over his chest and laid his head on Harry's neck, murmuring in the old language. Words of comfort, tenderness to ease the pain.

Dumbledore watched in little more than awe, though his mouth closed, his eyes were staring with utmost amazement. 'The power of the Ancients,' he thought, not once blinking during the whole process of creating a blockage from other thoughts.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry was feeling himself falling, falling into a place where he was completely alone. Darkness surrounded him, the cold piercing him like crystal rain pounding down.

He stumbled around in his own shadowed history, reaching for things he couldn't see.

"Draco?" he called out into the blackness that showed no sign of light. "Draco?" he called out again, more fear in his voice than before.

Harry ran aimlessly through the shadows, always calling out the only name that was within him, Draco.

"Draco!" he screamed in despair, his throat hoarse now from the shouting. He tripped over his feet and fell on the floor, hitting his chin, a pain cursing through him. Refusing to move, he lay there, tears rolling down his cheeks, squinting his eyes closed. "He's not here," he muttered between sobs. "He'll never be here."

A light came through a crack, lightening the darkness to a faded gray. Harry began feeling less pain and more peace, like he would find eternal happiness here. He was tired of running.

"Harry," a gentle voice called out, red hair framing a smiling face with another frame of a person behind her.

"Mother?" He began smiling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hold on Harry!" Lolita yelled, nearly done with it all, concentration causing perspiration to show on both of their foreheads.

"Harry!" Draco yelled, sending his own thoughts into Harry's mind. He could feel Harry slipping, wanting to end the battle he'd been fighting since he was born.

"Harry, please don't leave!" he shouted, holding Harry close to him, pressing his face against his back. "Please," he whispered, the words caressing over Harry's neck. A tremble ran through Harry, showing he was reacting to gestures outside of his mind.

"Harry, come back to me!" Draco said, never letting Harry go.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Draco?" Harry turned around, as if he had heard his name being called. "Draco, is that you?" he asked, looking for any glint of his paleness.

He knew he had heard his voice, moving away from the light that made him feel warm, that comforted him. He moved into the darkness, the cold that surrounded him, the ache he wanted to leave behind. But he couldn't leave Draco.

"Draco!" he yelled, feeling a sudden jerk come from underneath him, as if the floor was giving away. "Draco!" he called out before falling all the way, the sudden shock overflowing him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Done!" she said, moving back with so much swiftness she stumbled into Dumbledore, knocking them both nearly over. "Oops, sorry!"

Draco held Harry close, who was trembling all over, as if being taken over by a force unkown. His mind felt like that time his mother had died over him, that same searing pain that had caused his scar to appear there on his forehead in the first place, cursing through his body like a poison. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks, which Draco stole with quick, fleeting kisses. He was oblivious to everything around him, dazed to the very fact that his stomach rumbled its protest at still being empty.

"Harry?" Draco whispered in his ear. His only reply was the familiar shiver at the gentle gesture that he loved to feel. Draco turned Harry around and tipped his head somewhat back so that he would have to look into his eyes. "Harry?" Draco felt the blankness in him, the pain it had caused him to receive such a treatment, though he knew Lolita tried doing it as gentle as she knew how. Draco couldn't stand looking at the shrouded ache within those perfect emerald eyes that reflected eternal spring and melted away the cold within him.

"Draco," Harry said, though his eyes were still unfocused.

Without thinking, Draco pulled him somewhat closer and brushed his lips against Harry's, feeling the quick intake of breath, allowing Draco to relax but arousing the beast within.

Dumbledore helped Lolita to her feet, who was shaking all over and looked strangely pale for her complexion. "Are you alright?" he asked in a worried tone, seeing how clouded and distant her eyes were.

Lolita looked up at him and smiled weakly, showing her gratitude for his support in her standing. She obviously wouldn't be able to walk very far on her own without collapsing.

Harry finally came back to his senses, without thinking began to cling to Draco.

"It will be alright," he cooed, gently stroking Harry's back in a comforting and motherly motion. Draco was having the hardest battle within himself, a siren going against something so dark it was hard to be called a child of god.

After a moment of silent recovery, Dumbledore looked around at his three students and gestured to the doors. "I assume they should be halfway through their meal," he said, eyeing Lolita and Harry warily, both supporting each other. Draco wasn't permitted to guide them to the Gryffindor Table, seeing it would raise too many questions. But he refused to let them out of his sight, watching them like a hawk watching his prey.

They all looked at one another, gave a silent nod and made their way through the oak doors to greet the rest of the School, the new day, and the beginning of change in their lives.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: So Sorry So Short, but I promise, the next chapter will be longer. I just had to get this out in the open before continuing on. So, how was it? Peeves is my favorite 'ghost' within the Harry Potter series, though sometimes definitely nerve-wracking. Well, before my mother catches me, I will have to end here, so please r/r as always and see you in two weeks!