Sorry this took so long. My beta forgot about it for more than a week. So its ALL her fault. She appologizes though.
What you recognize is JKR's, the rest is mine. There is a Princess Bride reference in there too.
Thanks to all of my reviewers. You all are great. At the release of the third chapter, I will start writing review review emails. If you would like these, leave a review with your email.
This is all for now
"I'm bored!" Kaytryn announced. In the nearly week and a half since Draco's arrival at the manor, Lucius hadn't issued the pair of teens any assignments other than staying out of their fathers' way. Draco had nearly exhausted the manor's resources in entertaining the easily amused but attention span-less Kaytryn. In fact, the only thing that continued to keep her entertained daily was watching the house elves feed the Blast Ended Skrewt that MacNair had procured and kept at the manor.
"What do you want to do?" Draco questioned. "Keiran and Corbin are swimming. We've played quidditch already today, our fathers are working in the dungeon, mum and the girls have the horses in Diagon Alley, and you've singed your eyebrows off again. They might not grow back if we play one more game of Exploding Snap. I'm sick of winning at chess and the skrewt doesn't get fed again for another few hours!" The pair sat in Draco's private library. Draco stretched across a dark couch while Kaytryn sprawled on the floor.
'Who said we have to stay here?" Kaytryn questioned, craning her neck to try to look at Draco. Draco considered the girl's question for a moment.
"No one, I suppose, but mum and the girls have the carriage," he finally replied.
"Draco, we're the children of Death Eaters. I, for one, learned to apparate when I was 15," Kaytryn said. She sat up and shot an imploring look at Draco.
"I was 13," Draco admitted. "So where are we going?""Just go put on some sort of muggle-looking clothes and meet me back here in about 10 minutes. We're going to visit my best friend."
"Your best friend?" Draco questioned, but Kaytryn had already sprung to her feet and run from the room. Draco stared at the door until it clicked shut behind the girl. He then slowly stood and looked down at the robe he wore.
"Muggle looking?" he questioned to himself. Under the robe he had on black trousers and a forest green, short-sleeved polo shirt. Assuming they were muggle enough, he peeled off his robe and tossed it over the back of the couch for the house elves to deal with later. He ran his hands over his carefully gelled hair and then stretched his arms back behind his back. The polo shirt pulled tight across his sculpted chest."Oooh!" A high-pitched female voice squealed from the doorway.
"Parkinson!" Draco spat. He pulled his arms down to his sides and spun to face the doorway.
"How dare you compare me to that," Kaytryn paused for a moment. Her voice had regained its low, husky quality, much different than Pansy's high- pitched shrieking. She ran her hand through her red, white-blonde, and brown striped hair. "Yeah, I'm going to have to go with Aunt Loretta's vacuous whore thought."
"Kaytryn, please. You sounded just like her when you squealed, you know," Draco insisted. He surveyed the girl in the doorway. She wore a dark red, floor length skirt; reminiscent of those Contessa Borgin routinely wore. Her black top looked like nothing more than a triangular piece of cloth held on by thin black strings. He couldn't help but notice how low the skirt fell on her hips or how the shirt, could it be called that, barely covered enough to be considered proper. Her hair fell just below her shoulder blades, resting on skin only a few shades darker than Draco's own. A sharp cough from the girl brought Draco's mind back to the library.
"I asked if you were ready to go!" Kaytryn insisted. Draco nodded mutely and ran his hands over his hair again.
"Do you have your wand?" Kaytryn questioned.
"Yes, but I'm still more than a year away from being of age," Draco replied. Kaytryn produced a slip of paper from somewhere inside her skirts and passed it to Draco.
"We're heading to a place where ministry wards and sensors aren't effective at all. Don't worry about being underage if it comes down to really needing to use magic," Kaytryn replied.
"Cor, Kaytryn, where does your best friend live?" Draco questioned, running his fingers over the wand in the holster on his right hip, angled for a left cross-draw.
"At the other end of those coordinates," Kaytryn nodded at the paper in Draco's hand. "Now if you're quite through memorizing them, let's go!" Draco nodded and handed the paper back to Kaytryn. It promptly burst into flames and she smiled sweetly at Draco as the ashes fell from her fingertips.
"Shall we then?" she questioned. Draco nodded and the pair disappeared with two soft pops. Seconds later, they reappeared in a heap in a floor in London.
"Kaytryn, why did you give me the same coordinates you were going to use?" Draco questioned. He had landed directly yon the floor with Kaytryn on top of him. He felt as though her knee was in his ear and if her elbow had fallen a few centimeters more to the right, Draco's ability to have children would have been in question.
"Or you could have waited a bit before apparating," Kaytryn argued. The thick cloth of her skirt stretched tight across Draco's face as she struggled to stand. When she stood at Draco's side and he could see again, he spoke.
"Where might this best friend of yours be?" he asked. He and Kaytryn were the room's only two occupants. Kaytryn shrugged smoothly.
"Asleep. I'll have to wake him," she said. She turned and walked to a screened off section at the far end of the windowless room. Only after Kaytryn disappeared behind the screen did Draco bother with standing. He looked carefully around the low-ceilinged room. A large metal box nearly Draco's size stood in the corner across from the screen. It was black with a handle on the front. It hummed loudly. In fact, the box's buzzing was the only sound in the room. In the corner diagonal from the screen were two over stuffed black armchairs and a matching black leather couch situated around a smaller silver box on a black wooden table. The fluffy carpet under Draco's feet was grey in color, with the walls only a few shades darker. Positioned behind Draco was the room's only door, made of the same wood as the table. Draco heard a loud banging from behind the screen.
"Seth! Wake up!" Kaytryn's voice rang out over the humming box in the other corner.
"SE-ETH" Kaytryn screeched again.
"Geeze, Kaytryn," Draco called. "You're trying to wake your friend. Not every dead body around here." A loud creak answered Draco's statement.
"Seth!" Kaytryn said. A low growl answered Kaytryn.
"How are you?" Kaytryn asked, plowing on despite her friend's obvious displeasure at being woken.
"Kayti," Draco finally heard a deep voice say.
"Seth," Kaytryn said one more time. Draco heard two loud sniffs from behind the curtain.
"Kayti, how sweet of you!" Seth exclaimed.
"What?" Kaytryn asked, clearly not knowing what she had done.
"You brought me breakfast!" Seth insisted.
"No Seth, his name is Draco. You may not under any circumstances even taste him!" Kaytryn cried.
"Spoil my fun!" Seth pouted. Draco nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear.
"You're only kidding, right?" he called. Kaytryn finally stepped out from behind the screen.
"Right Kaytryn?" he asked again. Kaytryn smiled sweetly but before she could say anything, Seth joined her on the other side of the screen. He was nearly six and a half feet tall with a broad chest. He was definitely one of the most muscular people Draco had ever seen. Seth's clear- complexioned skin was quite the same shade as Draco's own, but his hair fell in lose, thick, deep-brown waves about his shoulders. Dark green-blue eyes stood out like gems in his pale face. He wore a pair of black linen drawstring pants that hung low on his hips and not much else save a shiny cross-shaped burn scar on his left upper arm.
"Seth, I'd like you to meet the guy I'm staying with all summer, Draco Malfoy. Kiddo, meet Seth, my best friend," Kaytryn said, pointing to each of the boys as she introduced him. Seth moved across the floor to just in front of Draco more quickly and silently than Draco thought humanly possible. Seth held out his hand to Draco and Draco took it. The man's hand was deathly cold and clammy on Draco's. Then Seth began applying pressure and proved he had the strongest grip of anyone Draco had ever met. This included Crabbe Sr., Goyle Sr. and the entire Durmstrang Quidditch team.
"Seth!" Kaytryn cried, just as Seth's grip on Draco's hand began to border on unbearable. "Leave him alone! He's only human!"
"Spoil my fun!" Seth pouted again. His thin pale lips pulled into a frown at his best friend. Suddenly, Draco knew exactly where Kaytryn had picked up that particular mannerism.
"Along with not tasting him you may not hurt him unless under the pre- approved circumstances that exist for all boys," Kaytryn said, looking at Seth like a mother looks at a misbehaving toddler. Seth finally dropped Draco's hand and turned to fully face Kaytryn. Draco was beginning to get more than a little annoyed by the overgrown, muscle bound idiot Kaytryn called a best friend. Kaytryn ignored Seth and turned to Draco.
"I'm sorry Draco, I didn't intend for a simple visit to Seth to turn into a preternatural pissing contest," Kaytryn said sincerely. She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Draco cried. He couldn't believe Seth and Kaytryn had caught him so of guard. "Preternatural?"
"It means supernatural, not in the normal course of nature," Seth offered with a smooth shrug. Draco felt like slapping his forehead, but, in keeping his emotions schooled into the typical unreadable Malfoy mask, he refrained.
"I know what it means," Draco said coolly. "So the question is, what are you?" He shot Seth a questioning glare. The same glare, in fact, which had been known to make first years cry.
"I'm a," Seth began to say. Before he could finish his sentence, Draco interrupted.
"Are you a vampire?" He questioned. "And if you are, why are you awake in the middle of the day?"
"I am awake because of an infernal knocking on my coffin lid courtesy of certain people named Kaytryn who insist on taking advantage of the fact that I can live during the day," Seth spat, glaring playfully at Kaytryn. Kaytryn returned his glare with a sweet smile and a shrug.
"What's the use of having the power if you're not going to use it?" she questioned. "And besides, we're bored."
"You're bored," Draco corrected. "I was quite content with reading in the library." Kaytryn's eyebrows knitted together in a small scowl.
"I have a bad case of just finished. N.E.W.T.'s bibliophobia," the girl insisted. She crossed her arms across her chest.
"I just finished O.W.L.'s. Got second in my year with 13 in fact, and I'm not afraid of books," Draco objected, wrinkling his nose at Kaytryn as though she was a particularly slimy species of slug. Or Longbottom.
"N.E.W.T.'s are a completely different story!" Kaytryn declared. "I was 8th in my class and only managed to scrape out four of them!"
"That's because you don't care," Seth muttered. Kaytryn glared at him and opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "As amusing as the pair of you are, I do believe you could have argued at home, so please tell me you've come for a better reason than to make me listen to you bitch about books." Kaytryn smiled at her friend and started towards one of the couches in the corner.
"So if you'd tried, how well could you have done?" Draco questioned.
"Drop it, Draco," Kaytryn snapped. "You weren't perfect either!"
"Damn sight closer than you though," Draco muttered. "And the girl who beat me is a prefect, manages the school Quidditch team, and doesn't do much else besides study! I, on the other hand, am a prefect, start for both the school and house Quidditch teams, and," Draco trailed off for a moment as he settled into a seat on the black leather couch next to Kaytryn.
"Lemme guess!" Kaytryn broke in. "You have to keep the line of girls at your door every night satisfied."
"No, actually, Kaytryn, I haven't been with anyone since my last girlfriend was murdered before Christmas." Kaytryn's eyes widened at Draco's statement. "I was actually just going to say that I spent nearly five weeks in the hospital wing because someone tried to kill me and botched it up!" Kaytryn's jaw dropped slightly and she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Who?" she finally asked. "I'll kill them!"
"William Sanguinis," Draco replied. "Well, actually, he put me under Imperius and then instructed me to empty the contents of the first year potions cupboard into my stomach. I lived though."
"Obviously," Seth snorted. He had curled up in an armchair so quietly Draco hadn't realized he'd moved until he spoke. Draco glared at him before turning back to Kaytryn. Kaytryn's hands were balled into fists and her eyes had narrowed.
"Kaytryn, it's okay. Sanguinis died in May. He was in our fathers' business and you know how dangerous that can be," Draco said. He could see the tension slide from her shoulders. She uncurled her fists and placed her hands primly in her lap.
"Good," she said as though she was speaking about the outcome of a Quidditch match rather than someone's life.
"So, Kayti, have you watched our show lately?" Seth questioned. He pressed a button on a piece of thin black plastic and instantly colors began dancing across one side of the box that the sofa and chairs were situated around. Intrigued, Draco watched the screen and realized the colors were actually tiny people.
"No," Kaytryn said. "No TVs at the manor. Has anything interesting happened lately?"
"What's a TV?" Draco interrupted. Both Kaytryn and Seth looked at him like he had grown a third head. Kaytryn recovered her power of speech first.
"He's very pureblooded," Kaytryn explained to Seth before turning to fully face Draco. "It's a form of muggle entertainment where, through the use of concepts I'm not in the mood to explain right now, pre-recorded moving pictures are shown, as you can see on the screen."
"Electricity and cable?" Draco guessed. Kaytryn nodded. "Yeah, someone gave Lucius The Pureblood's Guide To Understanding Muggles and Mudbloods, for Christmas. I was bored on holiday, so I read i," the boy explained. "They talked about television in it, but not TV."
"Tele-Vision!" Kaytryn insisted, smirking at Draco. She turned back to Seth. "So what's been happening on the show?" Draco settled back into the rich black leather of the couch and stared attentively at the screen, lending a partial ear to Kaytryn and Seth's conversation. Thanks to the mesmerizing screen, he barely noticed Kaytryn's left had position itself on his right knee and begin fidgeting with a string on his pants.
"So, uh, Tommy is still after Tina," Seth began.
"Tina still holding out?" Kaytryn questioned. Seth nodded and ran his hand through his dark brown hair.
"Derek, in spite of Arin, is being super jealous," Seth replied. "I think Tina might still want him, so she's being super conscious of what he thinks."
"Which is what, exactly?" Kaytryn prompted. Seth shook his head.
"You really haven't watched in a while, have you?" Seth said. "Well, the group that doesn't want Tina to be with Tommy says it will only cause Tommy to use Tina to get what he wants. Then he'll be done with her."
"And the side that supports it?" Kaytryn asked. Her hand hadn't yet moved from Draco's leg.
"Well, Devin supports it, as does Chance. And Chance is sleeping with both Kaisa and Corrine, so he holds their opinions. I tend to think Kaisa would support it anyway, though. And Kaisa and Chance could easily do something to Derek. I wouldn't put it past them either. And without Derek, I'm not so sure Arin would last, so Tommy's supporters would suddenly outnumber Tina's. By a lot."
"And that would be bad," Kaytryn interjected. Her grip on Draco's knee had tightened considerably. Seth nodded solemnly.
"That would be very bad. Tina's only supporters would then be William and Tshaya. While William is definitely a snarky son of a bitch, I don't think snarky is what's necessary to stop Devin from doing the jealous rage thing and killing Tina." Kaytryn's hand froze in a tight grip on Draco's knee.
"Tina CAN'T die!" She insisted. Draco carefully rubbed the back of her hand to get her to let go. She released his leg and grabbed his hand instead, lacing his fingers through hers.
"Technically, no, but you know how Tommy and Devin are," Seth said. Kaytryn's grip on Draco's hand tightened. He began moving his thumb in comforting circles on the girls thumb. The people on the screen ceased to amuse him, so he turned his full attention to the conversation.
"Could Tshaya save Tina?" Draco questioned.
"Could, probably. Would? Well, if maybe. She doesn't act unless she wants to, usually," Seth explained.
"Tshaya's more one to offer advice than action, and advice at a very high price. Then after things happen, she just laughs and says 'I told you so,'" Kaytryn added.
"Sounds about like this girl I know, Contessa Borgin," Draco mused. "But if she wants to be, she can be bought into action." If Draco noticed the bright red color Kaytryn's face suddenly turned at his mention of Contessa Borgin, he didn't say anything.
"Tshaya will occasionally take action for herself," Seth said.
"Contessa doesn't even allow people to know she exists unless she wants to. Very few people know her," Draco said.
"So when is Tina supposed to give Tommy her answer?" Kaytryn asked. She loosened her grip on Draco's hand but didn't let it go.
"The July 11th episode. It's a big hour long special," Seth explained.
"What time?" Kaytryn questioned.
"Seven," Seth replied. "You're both invited to come watch as my guests. Kayti, you know what to do." Kaytryn nodded.
"Yup, got it," she said, inching a bit closer to Draco."But now, to give you fair warning," Seth said, sitting up in his chair. The skin on his face had paled to the point of near translucence and seemed to stretch tautly across the bones under it.
"You're hungry," Kaytryn guessed. The distance between herself and Draco was suddenly non-existent.
"No fair hiding!" Draco hissed, glaring down at the girl. "I don't want to be vamp food any more than you do.
"Then you may want to leave now," Seth said, his voice growing thin and reedy. Strangely claw-like hands clung to the arms of his chair. Without thinking, Draco tossed his arm around Kaytryn's shoulders and apparated them directly back to his room at the manor.
"How'd you do that?" Kaytryn asked when they appeared just to the left of Draco's bed in his room.
"Didn't much want to be vamp food, and I've been able to apparate two people since last summer, so I brought us both back here," Draco explained. Kaytryn stepped away from the protective arm slung around her shoulders and took a seat on the end of the large four-poster bed. She adjusted her top and the looked up at Draco through wide stormy eyes.
"That was quite possibly one of the most interesting visits to Seth yet," the girl announced.
"Interesting, how?" Draco questioned. "We argued and then you and he blathered on about some stupid TV show until your best friend nearly ate us," Draco stretched his arms behind his head and then shot an imploring look at the girl.
"If you had only listened," Kaytryn mused.
"I did. And I heard nothing of importance," Draco insisted. He stomped around the bed and sprawled across it. Kaytryn turned slightly so her back was against one of the posts and she was mostly facing Draco.
"Can I trust you?" Kaytryn asked, cocking her had to the side inquisitively.
"What?" Draco replied.
"It's a simple question, Draco," Kaytryn said. "Can I trust you? If I tell you something, can you refrain from running off to our daddies with what you know?"
"Kaytryn," Draco said and then paused. He thought of telling her that between Barrett's death, Finley's death, and his near murder, there was no way he would tell his father anything. He thought of telling her of his distrust of Death Eaters and he thought of telling her about his growing confusion on where to turn and who was really right. Instead, he ran his fingers over his hair and uttered six simple words. "Yes, Kaytryn, you can trust me."
"Voldemort is about two deaths away from gaining the support of London's vampire and lycanthrope communities. Now, I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty scary thought, especially since London happens to have one of the world's largest lycanthrope communities," Kaytryn said.
"You're kidding, right?" Draco questioned. He rolled onto his left side and propped his head on his hands, shooting and inquisitive look at Kaytryn.
"On all accounts, no," Kaytryn said. "There are three people right now standing between the vampires, the lycanthropes and Voldemort. Luckily, those three people are the master vampire of the city Celestina, the Ulfric, or king wolf, Derek, and the Nimir-ra, or leopard queen, Arin."
"So the TV shows characters," Draco paused.
"Not really TV show characters at all, but it makes a rather nice code," Kaytryn explained. Draco nodded his agreement.
"So why aren't Celestina, Derek and Arin up for joining Voldey?" Draco questioned. Kaytryn gave a smooth shrug.
"Celestina is kind of old fashioned. She wants vamps and humans to stay separate. Ultimately, Derek has to go along with whatever Celestina decides. But he's pushing for staying away from Voldey simply because many of the pack are fully functioning members of society. Joining Voldey may expose what they are and endanger them."
"Like refusing the Dark Lord won't?" Draco muttered. Kaytryn shrugged smoothly again.
"Derek, Arin, and, in fact, the majority of lycanthropes are muggles. If all goes according to plan, things could eventually get really, really, messy," Kaytryn said.
"How did muggles, even muggle lycanthropes get mixed up with the Dark Lord?" Draco questioned. Kaytryn shrugged again.
"Tshaya Borgin, your friend Contessa's mum, is their resident witch for the pack, so they know a bit about magic. Due to Derek's ties to Celestina, Tshaya knows a fair amount about the vampires. Somehow, through all of that, Voldemort found the vampires and they've been in negotiations ever since," Kaytryn explained in a way that didn't at all.
"So you're saying you don't have a clue," Draco said dryly.
"Exactly what I'm saying," Kaytryn laughed.
"So what do all of the other people you mentioned have to do with anything?" Draco posed what he hoped was amore answerable question.
"Arin is Derek's girlfriend and the leopard queen. She is against joining Voldemort because she's fairly certain he'll use the vamps and lycanthropes as expendable commodities to get what he wants and when he gets it, he'll probably kill them all," Kaytryn said.
"Smart girl, that one," Draco muttered.
"Yeah, she really is. She also supports Celestina in the most extreme sort of way, because she's tied to Devin. If Celestina ever gets staked, Arin is in Derek's shoes with a much less desirable master."
"Master?" Draco questioned.
"Celestina can call Derek and any of the wolves at her will to do her biding. Not a bad deal because Celestina is mostly old and set in her ways and she makes her vampire underlings do what little bidding she has. Arin is in the same situation only with Devin, who can call leopards, instead of Celestina. But we'll cover Devin momentarily."
"Call?" Draco asked.
"It's a power some of the older vampires get. They acquire an animal to call. Celestina's is the wolf. Devin gets leopards. And by call, I mean they can summon real as well as lycanthropic types of these animals to wherever they are. Also, with the lycanthropic variety, they can cause the lycanthrope to shape shift even without a full moon."
"So you're saying if Celestina gets staked, and Devin joins up with Voldey, then not only will Voldey have any vampires that stick with Devin, but he'll also have a full group, pack, whatever, of wereleopards at his finger tips that Devin can make change on command?" Draco asked. He blinked twice, trying to grasp the gravity of the situation.
"Pard. And yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Kaytryn said.
"Devin needs to be eliminated then," Draco replied, a tone of reasonability in his voice that made killing Devin sound as easy as flying.
"Draco, do you realize what you just said?" Kaytryn asked.
"I said Devin needs to be eliminated. As in staked. Or burned. Or something," Draco said, looking at Kaytryn.
"Draco, darling," Kaytryn cooed, looking sweetly down at Draco like he was brainless. "How old do you think Seth is?"
"Six hundred forty two," Draco replied evenly. Kaytryn's grayish blue eyes widened before she blinked twice quickly down at the boy.
"Um, you're off by about 20 years, but that's still absolutely phenomenal. How did you figure that one out?" Kaytryn questioned. "I thought Seth was about 400 years younger than he really is for the first year I knew him. He's exceptionally good at hiding his power."
"After I found out that he was a vampire, I," Draco paused for a minute, considering exactly how he knew Seth's age. "I dunno. I just sorta felt that he was probably around 642."
"Well. Okay. So Seth is 664. He's third in line to be master of the city. Do you realize how old that means Devin and Celestina are?" Kaytryn questioned. Draco shrugged smoothly, as well as he could lying down and shook his head at the girl.
"I'd have to meet them," Draco replied. "Maybe I'd be able to feel them too."
"Devin is around 800. We think Celestina is about 1200 years old, but she's better at hiding things like that than Seth is. Devin just sorta flaunts his power so there isn't a question as to the fact that he's about 800. Do you realize how nearly impossible it would be for us to kill an 800 year old vampire?" Kaytryn asked. "Have you even tried to kill a vampire that just got vamped last week?"
"Well." Draco paused for a second. "Well no."
"They're damned near impossible to kill. They just don't die twice," Kaytryn said. Draco began examining his fingernails.
"Must alert Dumbledore. But I have seen Potter in broad daylight," he muttered. Kaytryn thumped his shoulder rather soundly.
"Not funny, Draco Malfoy," she spat. Draco smiled sheepishly then shrugged.
"I thought it was," he laughed.
"Yes. Well. Anyway, It would be nearly impossible for us to kill Devin without dying also," Kaytryn said.
"Nearly impossible isn't the same as impossible though," Draco objected.
"Like mostly dead isn't the same as all dead?" Kaytryn questioned. "Either way, that's how we'd end up." Kaytryn's attempt at humor was lost on the thoroughly pureblooded Draco.
"Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that killing Devin isn't a possibility!" Kaytryn insisted.
"And the point I'm trying to make is that even if it's not a possibility, it would still solve our problems faster than anything else I could think of," Draco said.
"Temporary fix," Kaytryn muttered. Draco sprang off of the bed.
"Temporary fix until we could find something more permanent," he objected. He began pacing around his room furiously.
"How many supporters does Devin have?" Draco questioned.
"Devin rules by fear. Because of this, he has lots of supporters. Or at least vamps who would work for him to keep their hearts and heads in place," Kaytryn replied. She moved to the center of the bed so she could watch Draco's quick circuit around the room.
"Are any as powerful as he is?" Draco asked, not pausing in his pacing.
"Bertrand is the next closest furious Devin supporter," Kaytryn replied. "He's fifth in line after a female vamp named Elizabeth. William is sixth."
"And how old is Bertrand?" Draco asked.
"He's only about 300. He's a baby as far as master vampires are concerned, and Seth doesn't think he'll get any more powerful. He's also a terrible leader, too busy groveling at Devin's feet and such," Kaytryn explained.
"So how is killing Devin a temporary fix again?" Draco asked. "Especially if there isn't anyone to take his place. Does anyone else have the power to call leopards?"
"No," Kaytryn replied.
"So Arin and her pard are free if Devin dies." Draco paused for a moment. "Again."
"Well, I guess they would be," Kaytryn said.
"So they could support Celestina openly, where as I guess right now, they have to be slightly quiet about it," Draco said.
"Right," Kaytryn agreed. Her head turned from side to side as she watched the still pacing Draco.
"What about this Chance person you mentioned?" Draco asked.
"Chance is a werewolf. He's the Bolverk of the pack, actually, which means he does Derek's dirty work because Derek doesn't like to do it himself. He's a nasty ass son of a bitch, but the wolves like Derek much better, so without Devin, Chance wouldn't have hope of inciting the riot he's anticipating," Kaytryn said.
"So Devin is the key to smoothing all of this over. Hopefully by the next flashpoint, Voldemort will loose interest in the vampires or something," Draco said.
"Like THAT would ever happen," Kaytryn muttered. "But you definitely are onto something with killing Devin."
"So what do you think would be the best way to kill him? Better yet, when am I ever going to see him?" Draco questioned.
"Did you catch the very last part of my conversation with Seth?" Kaytryn asked. Draco stopped and leaned against the outside of the post of his bed Kaytryn had earlier been sitting against.
"Something about the one hour long special," Draco replied.
"It was an invitation to the meeting where the vampires of London show up full force to meet with Voldemort, and Celestina gives him her answer," Kaytryn said. "Well, as long as we polyjuice ourselves. And I'm not Severus Snape's niece for nothing. I have polyjuice ready for situations like this."
"Kaytryn, this is brilliant!" Draco cried. "We can enact our plan then, if Devin will be there."
"Oh, Devin will be there. And he'll probably try to cause a stink too," Kaytryn said with a nod. "But Draco, if I may ask, what plan?"
"I don't know yet," Draco replied. "That's what we need to come up with. So what would be the best and quickest way to kill him?"
"Fire," Kaytryn said. "But at the same time, it would need to be a very small, very hot, VERY contained fire so we didn't kill every vamp and half of the humans in the room."
"So just a quick flash and then its gone?" Draco asked. "Sort of like an Incendiary spell?"
"Yes, but according to my DADA professor, Incendiary spells don't get hot enough to burn vamps before the vamps can put themselves out or remove the burning clothing," Kaytryn said. "They're quite useless. Especially on a master vampire as old as Devin."
"And its night and we don't want to kill everyone so we can't do the sunlight thing," Draco said.
"Right," Kaytryn agreed. "And staking is too up close and personal."
"As is beheading," Draco added. Kaytryn nodded.
"So fire it is then," Kaytryn said.
"Fire it would be," Draco muttered.
"We need a firebug," Kaytryn grumbled.
"A what?" Draco questioned.
"A firebug," Kaytryn replied. "A person who can call fire and fire of all types if they're good. Like the person who started the fire in the Three Broomsticks most likely. There are a few around, not exactly the most rare of powers, but I don't know of any."
"I do," a new voice said from the doorway.
"You do?" Kaytryn spun to face Astrid so quickly she nearly fell off the bed.
"How long have you been standing there?" Draco demanded, taking care of the more important issue first.
"Only long enough to hear you say you needed someone who could call fire. Not long enough to hear what for or anything," Astrid replied. "But for future reference, silencing charms are good to make all sorts of noise silent." She arched one eyebrow suggestively at the pair.
"Shove off, Astrid," Draco muttered.
"Draco, be nice. She knows someone who could hopefully make the kind of fire we're looking for," Kaytryn admonished the younger boy.
"Could being the operative word," Astrid replied. "Could if she wasn't underage." "Not a problem," Kaytryn said. "We just bring her here."
"Um. NO!" Astrid objected. "She and prince pureblood don't get along." The tiny girl shot a pointed look at her older brother.
"We don't get along because she's a smart arsed know it all. But she wouldn't survive a minute at the manor. And I want to have the satisfaction of finally beating her academically. Getting first place because she died just wouldn't be as much fun," Draco insisted.
"Do you really think she'd be able to do this?" Kaytryn questioned, looking from one Malfoy child to the other.
"You know the witch that you were talking about who set the Three Broomsticks fire?" Astrid asked. Kaytryn nodded, and Astrid took that as a sign to continue. "She and my friend are one and the same."
"Seth's!" Draco cried.
"What about Seth's?" Kaytryn asked.
"Who is Seth?" Astrid asked.
"Seth is my best friend," Kaytryn replied.
"She could do magic at Seth's as long as you were there to keep Seth from eating her. That is, she could do it as long as she agreed, but she's not always one to break the rules," Draco suggested. Astrid raised her eyebrows at her brother.
"She's not one for getting caught like you are," the 11-year old objected.
"Shove it, Astrid," Draco said.
"And besides," Astrid plowed on, despite her brothers command. "Since when do you like her well enough to get her to do anything for you?"
"I'm not going to," Draco said.
"You're not?" Astrid asked.
"Nope, she wouldn't do anything for me. You are," the boy laughed. "You and Kaytryn."
"And what if I don't want to?" Astrid questioned. Kaytryn turned to the little girl with a serious look on her face.
"Ignore your brother, Astrid. I'm asking for your help. Will you please contact your friend and see if you can get her to meet us in the Leaky Cauldron within the next two days so we can go to Seth's and try to start this fire making process," Kaytryn said. Her voice didn't waver as she stared steadily at the little girl.
"Alright Kaytryn, for you, I'll owl my friend and see what I can talk her into doing," Astrid said. She turned from Kaytryn and smirked at her brother, who, in turn, glared back at her.
"So why were you up here anyway?" Draco asked his little sister.
"Message from Lucius," Astrid replied. She leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Well then, let's have it," Draco insisted.
"He finally has an assignment for the pair of you," the girl said.
"And that is?" Kaytryn asked.
"The daughter of one of his new business associates is here for the night while our fathers prepare something else for something big happening sometime soon."
"Way to be detailed there Astrid," Draco laughed.
"The assignment is that the pair of you have to entertain the daughter and her boyfriend," Astrid said.
"When?" Kaytryn asked.
"Tonight," Astrid replied. "Well. You're supposed to report to the entrance hall in an hour, ready to go to out to Wizarding London to find something to do to entertain yourselves for a while. Someone's father has decided that the pair of you have been cooped up here for too long."
"Fair enough," Draco said, nodding at his little sister.
"So I suppose this is where I leave you to go owl my friend to beg for assistance for you all," Astrid said.
"Yes," Draco agreed. He turned the path of his pacing to the armoire in the corner. Astrid nodded at the pair of them and then ducked backwards out of the doorway, pulling the door closed as she went.
"Well, your sister has solved at least that problem," Kaytryn said. Draco nodded his agreement from the armoire.
"Tell me about the rest of Celestina's allies," Draco requested. Kaytryn nodded.
"Besides Seth, Celestina's really powerful supporters are William and Tshaya. William is an interesting character. He supports Celestina because if Voldemort gains power there won't be any more muggles to play with. Muggles amuse him a little too much. Unfortunately, he may be heading to America soon."
"And what about Tshaya?" Draco asked.
"Tshaya is 100% against supporting Voldemort, actually, because in both muggle and magical history it is a recorded fact that when genocide starts, gypsies die," Kaytryn said. Draco shook his head and leaned further into the armoire to rifle through the pants stacked on the lowest shelf.
"But now I'm off to watch the elves feed the skrewt and then get ready for whatever we're going to do tonight," Kaytryn said. She stood and took several steps towards the door before pausing and turning back to Draco.
"What ARE we going to do tonight?"
"Good question," Draco replied. "Any ideas?"
"Knockturn Alley after dark is one of those places every mother warns their child not to go. My mum died when I was twelve, so no one warned me and I can attest to the fact that the warning comes to prevent teenagers from having fun."
"So Knockturn Alley it is then?" Draco questioned.
"Certainly," Kaytryn said. "So I suggest wearing something. I dunno. Outrageous is the word that comes to mind. And robes aren't necessary this time of year, and especially at night." Draco turned to look at the girl. She quickly blew him a kiss.
"I'll be back in an hour," she promised, and with that, she hurried from the room. Draco watched her go before stepping away from the armoire and sinking onto the bed. He drew his knees to his chin and wrapped his arm around his legs, a million thoughts chasing themselves through his head. Most of them centered around one girl with a big mouth, a tendency to speak her mind under any circumstances, and striped hair. After a week and a half, Kaytryn's actions and words caught him off guard on occasion. She was more open minded and more affectionate than any of his friends, which was sometimes a bit unnerving. Then again, he used the word friends loosely. Most of the people near his age in Slytherin weren't intelligent enough to be credited as friends. Crabbe and Goyle were minions, if, after the Potion's O.W.L. incident Crabbe could even still be counted a minion. Parkinson was simply annoying and Karen and Taylor were too caught up in chasing the Gryffindor-loving Blaise. He still couldn't fathom Millicent on any level higher than Crabbe and Goyle, so as far as friends went, he supposed he didn't have any. Kaytryn was one of the only people since Finley he considered an equal. Contessa would have been in the running, but her sheer creepiness and love of shadows cut her out for friend status. He supposed, indeed, that Kaytryn was his only friend.
"But she's bloody hot!" he mused. Yes, there was that minor factor. Kaytryn was undeniably one of the most attractive girls he had ever met. With her thin, willowy frame and penchant for wearing slightly revealing outfits, Draco was well aware of the girl, always. The way her wet dress robes clung to her the first night in the pool hadn't yet escaped his mind and had been fuel for more than one late-night day dream.
"So she's good looking, she's highly intelligent, and she's staying here and forced to be in my company all summer. Why shouldn't I have a little fun out of this deal?" he wondered.
Dear Hermione,
Astrid paused and looked down at the beginning of the letter she had written. Chewing thoughtfully on the end of her quill, she considered how best to proceed in petitioning one of her closest, but older friends to help her brother and object of her brother's affection in whatever hair- brained scheme they had come up with now.
Remembering she was a Gryffindor, she figured that honesty was probably the best way to go, so she placed the tip of the quill back to the parchment and started the letter again.
Hey girl, how are you? I'm doing alright. Is your summer going well so far? Mine is rather boring. Life at the manor has been uneventful thus far. I think, however, that this may be about to change and I need your help in making the change.
One of father's business associates and his two children Kaytryn and Corbin are spending the summer at the manor. To keep them out of trouble, father assigned one of the kids to each of my brothers. Kaytryn has been assigned to Draco's care. I say she's been assigned to his care like she's not 2 and a half years older than him. Luckily, they've gotten along fabulously, and I think she may actually be something of a good influence on him.
Now at this point, please pick the letter back up and keep reading. I really haven't lost it. I walked into Draco's room today in time to hear part of a conversation between the pair of them where they were discussing their need for a highly specific type of fire. I'm not sure exactly what this fire would be used for, but they're dead set on getting it made, and seemed to think the fate of the world or something could ride on its existence. Kaytryn actually made the statement that they needed a firebug like the one who set the fire at the Three Broomsticks.
If you hadn't guessed, this is where you come in. Draco, of course, doesn't like the idea of your helping out with making this fire, but my opinion is why have someone like the person who set the Three Broomsticks fire when you can have the actual person, right?
I know you haven't practiced much with the fire making, so all I'm asking is for you to meet me and Kaytryn at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at 3 so she can discuss the specifics of the fire they want and you can see what you may be able to do for them. We promise to leave prince pureblood at home. Also, Kaytryn says not to worry, she has a place where you can make the fire and use magic and all of that good stuff without being affected by the ministry wards and sensors. And Draco agrees that the place is safe. If you think this is some big hoax to get you expelled, I'd be happy to steal Draco's wand. You can use it and make the supposed prank backfire. But they're being a bit to serious for this to be a prank, I think.
So hopefully I'll see you tomorrow at the Leaky Cauldron at 3. If you need transportation, just send word with Cassie, and I'll arrange something for you.
And besides, even if you can't make the fire, or decide it's too risky or whatever, wouldn't it be great to see me once more?
A. Astrid Malfoy
Astrid smiled down at the letter and blew across her slowly drying signature. Kaytryn had stopped by her room to set and time and ask her to write the letter. She also wanted to know exactly who she was supposed to be spending the night with. The tiny girl called her owl, Cassie, down from her perch and fastened the letter to her ankle.
"Take this straight to Hermione Granger and come straight back with her reply, okay girl?" Astrid asked. The owl hooted softly and nipped at its owner's ear. Astrid smiled and smoothed the great bird's feathers. The owl turned and flew out the window before immediately rocketing up into the clouds over the manor. Astrid smiled to herself as she turned towards the door to go find a front row seat for the fireworks she hoped would take place when her brother met his companions for the night.