Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own these character, really, because why would I post them HERE? I'd be rich. And J. K. Rowling, Goddess.
Chapter Five: Tell Me
There was a numbness surrounding Harry from all sides. He saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing but a blank fuzziness. His thoughts seemed sluggish, like they were too solid to fly as they should. 'Where... Am I dead?' He knew it was probable. The Seal was tied up in his own life, and to dissipate the ward's energies he had needed to overload it with his own. There was danger in attempting such a feat; the caster of the Seal could easily use up too much of their life-energies and die. As Harry supposed he must have done. But, if this was death... Where were they? Harry wanted to scream, to call out their names, but his voice stuck in his through and it was like cotton in his mouth and oh, it was lonely, :where were they?!;...
"Hey!" Harry slowly opened his eyes. Everything around him was blurred and out of focus, but he could almost make out the shape of a man's, no, a boy's head and torso. "I said, HEY!" The figure snapped into abrupt focus, though everything else remained unclear.
"My glasses..." Harry managed in a hoarse croak. His voice sounded rusty and unused, and his throat was parched. The stranger reached over Harry's chest and handed them to him. Harry nodded his thanks. He put them on, and with their return was a clarity he did not know he desired so until he had it. The stranger, who looked close to Harry's own age, remained poised just above Harry's chest. Close enough now and wearing his glasses, Harry could pick out all the fine details of the other person's face. There, between his brows, was a shallow crease, as if they often drew together in thought or perhaps worry. Here, a wisp of fair hair had fallen across the bridge of a proud nose. The eyelashes that framed eyes of an amazing liquid grey were long and so pale that they seemed to disappear into skin that looked as if it would have the texture of matte paper, soft and incredibly smooth...
With a small start, Harry realized he had been staring. But this boy, this... Now that Harry wasn't thinking of his face, there was something about him that Harry could not place, a strange sense of peculiarity that made the fine hairs on his arms and the nape of his neck stand on end. There was a long silence, both of them absorbed in scrutinizing the other with an intensity neither were aware of. It was Harry who looked away first, in the end. "...What happened? How did I end up..." He made a vague gesture with his left hand. "Tell me."
----
"Tell me." Draco stared into eyes an intensely vulnerable green. He had always known that one day, the time would come when he would show up on Draco's doorstep, and he thought he had been prepared for it. But he hadn't thought that he would be so... Such a perfect bundle of flesh and blood and bones that Draco just wanted to... To what? What was he thinking? This boy that lay on his bed was not the delicate and delicious morsel he appeared to be, Draco knew that very well. On the outside he may be the most darling thing in all creation, but he was filled with needles and knives, waiting to prick and draw blood... 'What in the name of the Great Gods am I thinking? Great Gods, he's staring at me... What do I say, what do I do?' "You attempted to overload the ward. Stupid," he added after a second, his lips curling up in a sneer. An enraged fire spread along the boy's cheekbones. He opened his mouth as if to tell Draco off, but Draco didn't give him the opening. "You would have toasted this entire forest, didn't you know that?" The mouth closed, and Draco could tell he was grinding his teeth. "You're a fool. But you aren't dead. What's your name?"
"Harry," he said sullenly. Draco made a mental note that Harry had not given any familial or clan associations. "Who are you?" Ah, he was rude, this one! Draco found that mildly amusing but hid his smile well.
"Dr--" He paused. He would have to handle this guest with particular care. The wrong words would mean disastor. "...Just call me Malfoy."
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A/N: What a lousy place to stop, eh? But I wanted to post this chapter as soon as possible, and it was taking me far too long to write this one. == See, I write them on paper then type them up fairly quickly. But I've been lazy lately, soo... Thank you to all my reviewers!
Jill 4: Thank you! Kind words are always lovely.
Sak: It's kind of a sixth sense. You'll see why in later chapters.
Sapphire-Wolf1: Heh. No, they don't... Oh, you'll just have to see. I'm doing something special with that aspect of them.
Shadow Cat17: Why, thank you! I update as quickly as I can, but I'm not always able to type it up.
Lydd: My first reviewer! My first review is always my favourite.
And to Mon2, who has reveiwed my story the most often: Thank you so very, very much! It's nice to know that someone reads my story with regularity. You'll get answers to all your questions, but I don't want to spoil it for you. Just wait and see!
I love you all dearly! To those of you that read, but didn't review... REVIEW! It's the reviews that tell me I'm not just writing this for myself. (In which case I would just write it and not type it up. Heh.) Review review review! If I get twenty, I'll attempt TWO chapters in one day! Haha!
Chapter Five: Tell Me
There was a numbness surrounding Harry from all sides. He saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing but a blank fuzziness. His thoughts seemed sluggish, like they were too solid to fly as they should. 'Where... Am I dead?' He knew it was probable. The Seal was tied up in his own life, and to dissipate the ward's energies he had needed to overload it with his own. There was danger in attempting such a feat; the caster of the Seal could easily use up too much of their life-energies and die. As Harry supposed he must have done. But, if this was death... Where were they? Harry wanted to scream, to call out their names, but his voice stuck in his through and it was like cotton in his mouth and oh, it was lonely, :where were they?!;...
"Hey!" Harry slowly opened his eyes. Everything around him was blurred and out of focus, but he could almost make out the shape of a man's, no, a boy's head and torso. "I said, HEY!" The figure snapped into abrupt focus, though everything else remained unclear.
"My glasses..." Harry managed in a hoarse croak. His voice sounded rusty and unused, and his throat was parched. The stranger reached over Harry's chest and handed them to him. Harry nodded his thanks. He put them on, and with their return was a clarity he did not know he desired so until he had it. The stranger, who looked close to Harry's own age, remained poised just above Harry's chest. Close enough now and wearing his glasses, Harry could pick out all the fine details of the other person's face. There, between his brows, was a shallow crease, as if they often drew together in thought or perhaps worry. Here, a wisp of fair hair had fallen across the bridge of a proud nose. The eyelashes that framed eyes of an amazing liquid grey were long and so pale that they seemed to disappear into skin that looked as if it would have the texture of matte paper, soft and incredibly smooth...
With a small start, Harry realized he had been staring. But this boy, this... Now that Harry wasn't thinking of his face, there was something about him that Harry could not place, a strange sense of peculiarity that made the fine hairs on his arms and the nape of his neck stand on end. There was a long silence, both of them absorbed in scrutinizing the other with an intensity neither were aware of. It was Harry who looked away first, in the end. "...What happened? How did I end up..." He made a vague gesture with his left hand. "Tell me."
----
"Tell me." Draco stared into eyes an intensely vulnerable green. He had always known that one day, the time would come when he would show up on Draco's doorstep, and he thought he had been prepared for it. But he hadn't thought that he would be so... Such a perfect bundle of flesh and blood and bones that Draco just wanted to... To what? What was he thinking? This boy that lay on his bed was not the delicate and delicious morsel he appeared to be, Draco knew that very well. On the outside he may be the most darling thing in all creation, but he was filled with needles and knives, waiting to prick and draw blood... 'What in the name of the Great Gods am I thinking? Great Gods, he's staring at me... What do I say, what do I do?' "You attempted to overload the ward. Stupid," he added after a second, his lips curling up in a sneer. An enraged fire spread along the boy's cheekbones. He opened his mouth as if to tell Draco off, but Draco didn't give him the opening. "You would have toasted this entire forest, didn't you know that?" The mouth closed, and Draco could tell he was grinding his teeth. "You're a fool. But you aren't dead. What's your name?"
"Harry," he said sullenly. Draco made a mental note that Harry had not given any familial or clan associations. "Who are you?" Ah, he was rude, this one! Draco found that mildly amusing but hid his smile well.
"Dr--" He paused. He would have to handle this guest with particular care. The wrong words would mean disastor. "...Just call me Malfoy."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: What a lousy place to stop, eh? But I wanted to post this chapter as soon as possible, and it was taking me far too long to write this one. == See, I write them on paper then type them up fairly quickly. But I've been lazy lately, soo... Thank you to all my reviewers!
Jill 4: Thank you! Kind words are always lovely.
Sak: It's kind of a sixth sense. You'll see why in later chapters.
Sapphire-Wolf1: Heh. No, they don't... Oh, you'll just have to see. I'm doing something special with that aspect of them.
Shadow Cat17: Why, thank you! I update as quickly as I can, but I'm not always able to type it up.
Lydd: My first reviewer! My first review is always my favourite.
And to Mon2, who has reveiwed my story the most often: Thank you so very, very much! It's nice to know that someone reads my story with regularity. You'll get answers to all your questions, but I don't want to spoil it for you. Just wait and see!
I love you all dearly! To those of you that read, but didn't review... REVIEW! It's the reviews that tell me I'm not just writing this for myself. (In which case I would just write it and not type it up. Heh.) Review review review! If I get twenty, I'll attempt TWO chapters in one day! Haha!