~More Then Meets the Eye~
Harry walked back into the common room. Draco still seemed to be tearing up the place.
"Oh, Draco..." Harry cooed.
Draco looked up and gave his attention to Harry, "What?"
"Looking for this?" Harry held the ring up by his index finger and thumb, clearly showing it to all in the room.
Draco stared at it for a second, seeing if a trick was about to come, but when nothing happened he walked over and grabbed it. He studied it; whether to see if it was the real ring or if it just had any marks on it, before he placed it back on his finger.
"Where did you find it?"
Harry smiled, "I found it in your bathroom, on the floor, behind the toilet."
Draco growled, "I was never in my bathroom."
"You probably got up in the middle of the night and forgot."
"I would REMEMBER if I had pissed last night, Harry!" Draco yelled before he stomped back up to his room.
Harry could only watch the blonde's retreating back, "What's his problem?"
Blaise just shrugged, "He's been acting weird since last night. I mean, he didn't blow up till this morning when he lost his ring, but something seems to be bothering him. Pansy's been trying to talk to him, but he threatens anyone who asks him about it. She finally just gave up with the rest of us. Maybe you could talk to him."
"Maybe..."
"Go on, Harry," Hermione urged.
Harry nodded and slowly followed Draco back to his rooms. The door was shut and locked by the time he got there. Harry knocked.
"Go away!" Draco yelled from inside.
"Draco, it's me. Let me in."
"Go away!"
Harry felt slightly hurt, but refused to give in, "Draco, if you don't let me in, I'm going to tell everyone about your nickname."
The door opened sharply and two hands pulled him in, "Don't you dare."
Harry released himself from the blonde's vice grip and took a step back, "Draco, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong!" Draco shouted.
The Gryffindor muttered a silencing spell around the room, half for Draco's sake, and half for the other Slytherins' sanities, "Calm down."
"I do not have to *calm down*, Harry! I am perfectly alright!" the blonde looked on the verge of hysterics.
Harry walked over towards Draco and gently wrapped his arms around him, almost afraid he would pull away. When he didn't, Harry tightened his grip, "Shhh."
"I'm fine. Really, I'm alright, Harry," Draco murmured into Harry's chest. By now the blonde was trembling.
Harry started to worry. He had never seen Draco so upset before. "Come on, Butterfly. It's alright. I'm here."
"Don't call me that," Draco slowly pushed himself from Harry's arms.
The Gryffindor eyed him strangely, "What's got you acting so testy?"
Draco sighed and went around his bed towards a desk. He grabbed a piece of parchment on top that looked like it had suffered much abuse.
Harry took the proffered paper and looked down upon the writing. Through the creases, rips, and water stains that he guessed were tears, Harry saw neat, script writing in a very short letter. He read:
Draco,
It is time for you to prove where your values lie.
One week.
It wasn't signed, but Harry knew it had to be something bad.
"Draco, who is this from? What does it mean?"
Draco took a shaky breath, "It's from my father, and it means exactly what it says."
"I don't..."
"I know," Draco cut in, "Sit down."
Harry sat on the very edge of the bed, "What is going on? You're beginning to scare me, Draco."
"You know that my father is a... is a..."
"Death Eater," Harry tried.
"Yeah," Draco spoke softly, not even the least bit surprised that Harry knew, "Not the secret of the century is it?"
Harry shook his head slightly.
Draco drew in another unsteady breath, "Well ever since I can remember he's been telling me... he's been telling me that I would follow in his footsteps."
After Draco let out a long pause, Harry finally understood what the letter meant. To 'prove where his values lie' he would have to become a Death Eater. Harry's throat tightened, "One week?"
"One week means that he wants it done anywhere between now and next Saturday."
"Draco, why now?"
"He wants to know that the only heir to the Malfoy fortune will follow the same path."
Harry stood up and wrapped the blonde back up in his arms, "It won't happen. I won't let it."
"I don't know what you can do."
Harry tilted Draco's head up with his fingers, "Anything."
He leant down and placed a soothing kiss upon two trembling lips.
|~*~|
"Do you have the ring?" a threatening growl penetrated the, otherwise, silent room.
A black cloaked, white masked man hung his head as he bowed on one knee, "No, I do not my Lord. I could not obtain it. There were... difficulties."
Voldemort's red eyes glowed like fireballs, "There is no excuse for failure! I need that ring!"
The man coward in fear, "I am sorry my Lord. Please, forgive me."
Voldemort looked down upon the shaking man, "I am feeling most gracious today. Your life will come in handy soon, so I shall not kill you."
"Thank you my Lord. You know I would do anything to please you."
"I know, but I need that ring!"
"Then I shall retrieve it for you."
"No," Voldemort spoke, "You have already tried and failed. I have a new faithful follower who will do that for me."
Right then, another man came into the room. He was a bit shorter then the one on his knees, but his bulky status claimed he was much stronger, "Ready to serve you my Lord."
"Stucker, I remember your father. Such a faithful man he was."
Stucker bowed at the waist, "I will be ever as faithful as he was, but I will not be sent to Azkaban."
"Good to hear."
"You request that I retrieve the ring for you?"
"Yes, but I have another item, or person, as it be, that I need you to grab."
"Anything."
"Good," Voldemort finally raised his head toward the standing man, "We have more information about the ring."
"Did that old hag finally crack?"
"Yes, she finally decided to answer to our... interrogators," Voldemort paused, "Apparently, she was the last owner of the ring. That is, before she passed it on to an antique dealer. Says she did not want to be caught with it."
"What did you find out about the ring?"
"She told us mostly what we know already. The ring has powers that can create, destroy, bring life, death, or immortality if used properly. What we found out is that only one can wear it."
"So how are we going to go about bringing you immortality my Lord?"
"We need the one who wears the ring."
Harry walked back into the common room. Draco still seemed to be tearing up the place.
"Oh, Draco..." Harry cooed.
Draco looked up and gave his attention to Harry, "What?"
"Looking for this?" Harry held the ring up by his index finger and thumb, clearly showing it to all in the room.
Draco stared at it for a second, seeing if a trick was about to come, but when nothing happened he walked over and grabbed it. He studied it; whether to see if it was the real ring or if it just had any marks on it, before he placed it back on his finger.
"Where did you find it?"
Harry smiled, "I found it in your bathroom, on the floor, behind the toilet."
Draco growled, "I was never in my bathroom."
"You probably got up in the middle of the night and forgot."
"I would REMEMBER if I had pissed last night, Harry!" Draco yelled before he stomped back up to his room.
Harry could only watch the blonde's retreating back, "What's his problem?"
Blaise just shrugged, "He's been acting weird since last night. I mean, he didn't blow up till this morning when he lost his ring, but something seems to be bothering him. Pansy's been trying to talk to him, but he threatens anyone who asks him about it. She finally just gave up with the rest of us. Maybe you could talk to him."
"Maybe..."
"Go on, Harry," Hermione urged.
Harry nodded and slowly followed Draco back to his rooms. The door was shut and locked by the time he got there. Harry knocked.
"Go away!" Draco yelled from inside.
"Draco, it's me. Let me in."
"Go away!"
Harry felt slightly hurt, but refused to give in, "Draco, if you don't let me in, I'm going to tell everyone about your nickname."
The door opened sharply and two hands pulled him in, "Don't you dare."
Harry released himself from the blonde's vice grip and took a step back, "Draco, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong!" Draco shouted.
The Gryffindor muttered a silencing spell around the room, half for Draco's sake, and half for the other Slytherins' sanities, "Calm down."
"I do not have to *calm down*, Harry! I am perfectly alright!" the blonde looked on the verge of hysterics.
Harry walked over towards Draco and gently wrapped his arms around him, almost afraid he would pull away. When he didn't, Harry tightened his grip, "Shhh."
"I'm fine. Really, I'm alright, Harry," Draco murmured into Harry's chest. By now the blonde was trembling.
Harry started to worry. He had never seen Draco so upset before. "Come on, Butterfly. It's alright. I'm here."
"Don't call me that," Draco slowly pushed himself from Harry's arms.
The Gryffindor eyed him strangely, "What's got you acting so testy?"
Draco sighed and went around his bed towards a desk. He grabbed a piece of parchment on top that looked like it had suffered much abuse.
Harry took the proffered paper and looked down upon the writing. Through the creases, rips, and water stains that he guessed were tears, Harry saw neat, script writing in a very short letter. He read:
Draco,
It is time for you to prove where your values lie.
One week.
It wasn't signed, but Harry knew it had to be something bad.
"Draco, who is this from? What does it mean?"
Draco took a shaky breath, "It's from my father, and it means exactly what it says."
"I don't..."
"I know," Draco cut in, "Sit down."
Harry sat on the very edge of the bed, "What is going on? You're beginning to scare me, Draco."
"You know that my father is a... is a..."
"Death Eater," Harry tried.
"Yeah," Draco spoke softly, not even the least bit surprised that Harry knew, "Not the secret of the century is it?"
Harry shook his head slightly.
Draco drew in another unsteady breath, "Well ever since I can remember he's been telling me... he's been telling me that I would follow in his footsteps."
After Draco let out a long pause, Harry finally understood what the letter meant. To 'prove where his values lie' he would have to become a Death Eater. Harry's throat tightened, "One week?"
"One week means that he wants it done anywhere between now and next Saturday."
"Draco, why now?"
"He wants to know that the only heir to the Malfoy fortune will follow the same path."
Harry stood up and wrapped the blonde back up in his arms, "It won't happen. I won't let it."
"I don't know what you can do."
Harry tilted Draco's head up with his fingers, "Anything."
He leant down and placed a soothing kiss upon two trembling lips.
|~*~|
"Do you have the ring?" a threatening growl penetrated the, otherwise, silent room.
A black cloaked, white masked man hung his head as he bowed on one knee, "No, I do not my Lord. I could not obtain it. There were... difficulties."
Voldemort's red eyes glowed like fireballs, "There is no excuse for failure! I need that ring!"
The man coward in fear, "I am sorry my Lord. Please, forgive me."
Voldemort looked down upon the shaking man, "I am feeling most gracious today. Your life will come in handy soon, so I shall not kill you."
"Thank you my Lord. You know I would do anything to please you."
"I know, but I need that ring!"
"Then I shall retrieve it for you."
"No," Voldemort spoke, "You have already tried and failed. I have a new faithful follower who will do that for me."
Right then, another man came into the room. He was a bit shorter then the one on his knees, but his bulky status claimed he was much stronger, "Ready to serve you my Lord."
"Stucker, I remember your father. Such a faithful man he was."
Stucker bowed at the waist, "I will be ever as faithful as he was, but I will not be sent to Azkaban."
"Good to hear."
"You request that I retrieve the ring for you?"
"Yes, but I have another item, or person, as it be, that I need you to grab."
"Anything."
"Good," Voldemort finally raised his head toward the standing man, "We have more information about the ring."
"Did that old hag finally crack?"
"Yes, she finally decided to answer to our... interrogators," Voldemort paused, "Apparently, she was the last owner of the ring. That is, before she passed it on to an antique dealer. Says she did not want to be caught with it."
"What did you find out about the ring?"
"She told us mostly what we know already. The ring has powers that can create, destroy, bring life, death, or immortality if used properly. What we found out is that only one can wear it."
"So how are we going to go about bringing you immortality my Lord?"
"We need the one who wears the ring."