Chapter Twenty Two:: What a Surprise
Later, when the two walked off the dance floor, Draco finally asked where Kit was spending Christmas.
"I'm going home with you."
As soon as the words left her mouth she winced. Could I be anymore abrupt? She wondered.
Glancing up, she found him staring at her.
"Wh- what?"
Blaise, with his usual impeccable timing, came charging up to them right then.
"I just heard! This is so unfair!" He complained loudly.
Kit, although thankful for his interruption, was nonplussed. "What is?"
"This!" He said plaintively, "Dumbledore setting you up to go to Draco's house while I have to stay here over the holidays, alone and lonely, only dreaming of the fun you two will be having!"
He heaved a sigh and sniffed.
"Aw Blaise, it's only a week." Kit comforted. "Besides, do you really want us around while Angea's... visiting? You did know she was staying the holidays as well, didn't you?" She added with a grin.
This news caused Blaise to perk up considerably, seeing as the two had made up.
"Oh. Well, I guess the week won't be too terrible in that case."
Kit giggled at his sudden change of view.
"You're wonderful, you know that Blaise?"
"Of course I do," He replied arrogantly, "but now that you've finally noticed, are you ready to profess your undying love to me?"
"Whoa, what happened to Angea?" She said with a laugh.
"Hey, why can't I take after my photo image?" He waggled his eyebrows.
About to nudge him, she thought twice, instead leaning over to kiss his cheek instead.
"Will that suffice?" She asked sweetly.
"Not as long as other shows of affection might." He replied with a wicked grin.
Kit couldn't help but laugh as she reached over to hug him.
"I guess I'll see you guys in a week..." He sighed reluctantly.
They had reached the entrance doors of Hogwarts. Outside, the snow was falling softly.
"Looks like it'll be a white Christmas." She murmured.
Blaise cleared his throat. "Uh – when you get back, look in your kitchen, 'kay? I've got my Christmas gift for you in there."
She looked up at him. "Thank you Blaise. That's really sweet! It's also quite a coincidence, as my gift to you happens to be in there as well." She grinned. "Look in the oven once you get back."
His face brightened. "Okay! Happy Christmas, you guys."
As he left, Harry came up to them. Needless to say, he didn't look too happy.
"H- hi, Harry." Kit started nervously. Suddenly, she straightened. She shouldn't be nervous. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Well, maybe she should've told him, but still.
Wordlessly, he came up to her and handed her her cloak.
"I – I guess Ginny told you which family I'm staying with, huh?"
Instead of answering, he turned to glare at Draco. For a moment, the latter returned the glare before sighing and moving away.
"Why did you agree to stay with the Malfoy family?" Harry rounded on her.
"Wh- what are you talking about?" She asked in surprise. "It was Dumbledore who put me up with them! If he didn't trust them, why would he allow me to stay with them?" She demanded before answering herself. "He wouldn't."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Come on, Harry," She persisted, "The reason I didn't tell you was because I knew you'd get like this. Everything will be fine!"
"Like you know that." He replied shortly. After a moment, he sighed. "Will you promise to be careful?"
Kit grinned up at him. "What, don't you trust me?"
"I trust you perfectly. It's him I don't care for." He jerked his head to where Draco was standing, arms crossed, a stony expression on his face.
Kit's grin turned into a smile. "Don't worry." She said softly.
"I think that's going to be impossible." He said with a frown. Slowly, his frown disappeared and his cheeks tinged pink.
"Um – this is for you." He said, handing her a tiny velvet bag.
Hesitantly, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Happy Christmas, Kit."
A warm smile spread across her face. "Thank you Harry. I'll open it on the train. I've got something for you, too," She said as she reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small, tissue wrapped object. "Happy Christmas."
It was a copy of 'High Flying: A Guide to the Most Famous Plays the Wizarding World has Ever Seen' – by Ai R. Head, along with the official notice of her newly assumed position of Advisor to the Hogwart's Quidditch Teams.
Quickly, she hugged him one last time before turning and heading toward the doors.
About to follow, Draco stopped as he heard Harry's voice behind him.
"I swear Malfoy, if you try anything..."
A smirk was his only response to the passing threat.
But, even though it did seem to Harry that, incredible as it may seem, Draco Malfoy might have actually found something worthy of his care, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy as he watched the two walked off in the falling snow.
A large part of his mind wouldn't let him forget that this was Draco Malfoy, heir of everything evil, even if his father was in Azkaban... and he was letting Kit walk off with him for a week.
He shuddered.
Knowing she could take care of herself wasn't much when she was walking right next to a pretty looking devil.
"So... are we taking the train?"
"Yeah."
Kit looked up at her strangely silent friend, silhouetted by the foggy glow of moonlight. Once again, she couldn't help but marvel at his appearance; he looked so... regal. So majestic. Almost perfect.
Unwittingly, she let out a sigh, drawing the descripted's attention. For a moment, their eyes locked.
"What?" He asked softly.
Kit gave a shrug and smiled. "Nothing."
The two lapsed into silence again.
Suddenly, a gust of wind sent the snowflakes flurrying into a mini blizzard and Kit at the mercy of her skirt.
Almost laughing, Draco watched as her long, full skirt blossomed out, acting as wings and pulling her along with the whims of the wind.
"Just sit down!" He called to the girl now five yards away, when two seconds ago she had been at his side.
"W- what! Do you know how c- cold snow is?" She called back, teeth chattering in the biting wind.
"It's either that or we'll never get to the train – or maybe you could just fly there!"
"Or – or m-maybe you c-could actu-tually do s-something!"
With a long suffering sigh, he tromped through the miniature snow drifts to where Kit was valiantly battling the wind while trying to hold her skirts down at her sides, to keep them from acting as sails.
Coming up behind her, he scooped her up and started carrying her back toward the walkway.
"W-wait! I dr-dropped H-Harry's p- present!"
Rolling his eyes, Draco turned back and began scanning the snow for her gift. There it was – a little red peeked from one of the drifts. Setting Kit down while keeping hold of one of her hands, he leant down to get it – and slipped, pulling her down with him.
Gasping, he shot up and tried to rid himself of the cold snow slithering down his back.
"T-too – c-cold..." He gasped, writhing. Now that the snow inside his shirt had melted, he was left with an icy liquid covering his back.
"L-let's g-go..."
"Oh, I've h-had it!" Kit suddenly pulled out her wand and called, "Inferno!"
Under natural circumstances, the spell would cause a thin line of fire to shoot out of the wand, the width of it depending on the wizard's wish.
But under the snow and wind, a jet of heat shot out the wand and spread to cover the area in front of the two, melting the snow and leaving a warm path to follow.
"C'mon." Kit said through gritted teeth. They still wanted to chatter.
"W-why didn't you d-do that in the f-first place?!" Draco exclaimed as the forged their way towards the train station.
"If you didn't notice, it wasn't til then that the wind picked up and became bitingly cold." She reminded him. "Though it's stopped now."
Sure enough, the wind had left, leaving in its wake only soft full flakes once again.
Kit pocketed her wand and glanced around as the two walked on. Students were trickling out of the castle by three's and four's, exchanging their gifts and boarding the train, some staying together until reaching Platform 9 and ¾.
"I guess we'd better hurry if we want to find an empty compartment." Draco murmured, scanning the crowd.
Kit watched him for a moment. "Who are you looking for?"
"Huh?" Startled, his gaze returned to Kit. "I – oh. Nobody. Just – automatic reaction, I guess. Let's go."
Nonplussed, Kit followed him onto the train as he peered into the windows of compartments until they found an empty one.
Just as they sat down, Draco stretching out his legs on one seat, her mirroring him on the other, the clock struck midnight.
A cheer could be heard winding out of the Great Hall as Christmas Day arrived for its occupants; the students on the Hogwarts Express cheered too, though they'd have to wait a few hours before they could enjoy their Christmas.
Kit smiled faintly at her boarding partner. "Happy Christmas, Draco."
Her hand dived once again into her dress pocket and produced a small object wrapped in tissue paper.
"I didn't have time to get a box for it," She said as she reached over to hand it to him, "and I know that it's kind of a weird gift for a guy, but – I saw it and you were the thing it brought to mind."
Unfolding the tissue paper, Draco found a thin, white gold chain interspersed with silver in the shape of a dragon. It even had feet spaced out along the chain, the head being the clasp swallowing the tale. The silver sections shimmered like scales.
"It's a bracelet." She shrugged. "Like I said, it's kind of weird – but it fits, doesn't it?"
Draco glanced up briefly and grinned. "Yeah. I don't think it's all that weird, anyway. Wonderfully crafted, too..." He commented as he watched it slither around his arm and back down to his wrist, the white diamond eyes glinting up at him.
Suddenly, he cleared his throat and reached into his hat. "I – I have something for you, too."
He handed her a pale blue box tied with silver ribbon.
Grinning, Kit untied the bow and lifted the lid. "Knowing you, it's bound to be... something..."
Her voice trailed off as she looked into the box. Cushioned in the mother- of-pearl lining was another box, this one as big as her thumb and clear. Inside was a whirl of something, almost like he had trapped a storm of color inside. It flashed and whipped, twirling like a dustcloud.
"What – what is it?" She breathed.
"At home, over summer break, my mother taught me to isolate and solidify the essence of someone." He answered. "This – this is you. I have one, too." He said and brought a tiny box of his own, this one filled with a blue and silver cloud. He cleared his throat. "This is me. When I was little, I used to be blue and yellow. Last year, and the year before that, I was black and red. At the end of last year, though, the red disappeared and turned silver." Draco glanced up at her again. "It wasn't until recently that I got the blue back again."
Thoroughly entranced, Kit leaned closer to compare his to hers, a little frown hovering between her eyes.
"I don't get it." She said. "Why is mine so many different colors and yours only two?" She queried.
Draco sat back again. "I'm not exactly sure, but it might have something to do with your eyes."
Impulsively, Kit reached a hand to her face.
"Why do they do that, anyway?" Draco asked curiously. It had always been a subject of extreme intrigue, but he had never figured out a way to bring it up without seeming nosy.
"I – I'm not sure." Kit replied, avoiding his gaze.
"Did either of your parents have eyes like that?" He persisted.
"My mother." She answered shortly.
"What about before that?" Technically, this question would be considered prying, but the words popped out of his mouth before he could check them.
Nice going, he thought as he watched Kit's face stiffen. Perhaps Blaise's bluntness was rubbing off on him, he mused. The thought was accompanied by an involuntary shudder. Anything but that.
"I – I don't know."
A stiff silence fell between the two as Draco tried to remember what he was going to say before the question of her eyes had come up.
"The odd thing," He started softly, "is that if a person switches their essence with another, it will form a bond between them. My mother has part of me, so I know – I know when she's having a nightmare. I can go into her dream then and wake her." He snorted softly. "The funny thing is," he continued in a whisper, "she used to do that exact thing for me."
Draco glanced up at Kit. She had a faraway look in her eyes and Draco wondered what she was thinking of.
He cleared his throat. "Would – would you mind – holding onto this?" He held out his silver and blue swirl.
Kit looked up at him and smiled. "It would be my pleasure." She replied softly. "But only if you do the same for me."
A small smile lit on his face as he took the tiny box presented to him and exchanged it with his own.
"It would be my pleasure." He repeated.
A sudden glint came into her eye. "Could you transfer this to another object?" She demanded.
"What?" Draco asked confusedly.
Kit's cheeks warmed. "What I mean is, Harry gave me a locket. I gave you the bracelet. The dragon's head opens, you see, to act as a locket as well. If we moved our essences into those, we wouldn't have to worry about losing them – and that way," her ears were burning, she just knew it, "we - we could always be close. Um." Kit chanced a look up. "What do you think?"
For a moment, Draco seemed lost in thought before a smirk worked its way across his face. "I'd be joined with Potter's gift. How ironic..."
"Then you'll do it?"
He shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's practical, and I could do it right now, if you want. Besides," he continued, "I like the thought of being... closer."
Kit laughed. "Draco, I'm surprised at you! You're starting to sound like Blaise!"
He shuddered and murmured. "Heaven forbid..."
She began to laugh again, but was cut off halfway by an rebellious yawn.
Draco sat up, eyes twinkling. "What? Don't tell me you're tired already?" He asked through barely suppressed laughter.
Kit tried to glare at him, but ended up shutting her eyes for another yawn. "H- hey, it's from the stress o- of it all." Two yawns accompanied that sentence.
"Yeah." Draco smirked. "Maybe you should close those little, heavy lidded eyes of yours so you can get your sleep, youngling."
Her traitorous eyelids were all too quick to obey and shut, barely leaving her time to murmur, "D- don't call me... that... Remmy..."
Sleep claimed her.
Draco frowned uncertainly at her sentence. Did he hear right? Had she called him 'Remmy'? Who was that?
With a sigh, he shrugged and marked it off as another mystery of Kit, the girl with no surname. He didn't have any business prying into her life; he had enough secrets to know to honor hers.
For a moment, he watched her sleeping form, sprawled across the seat opposite him, smirking at the ironic contrast of her 19th century dress and the fact that she let her legs show. His gaze traveled down to the little velvet pouch she still clutched and remembered the necklace she had mentioned.
He might as well spell it now.
After he was done, he gingerly clasped the locket around her neck, praying not to wake her as he moved her hair out of the way. He didn't.
Once that was finished, he leant back in his seat, fiddling with the bracelet she had given him and thinking. On what, his face didn't tell. But slowly, he too drifted off into slumber.
Regular disclaimers apply... I love my character! (and Draco)
Hey! I guess I scared some peeps by not giving any notice that I'd be gone for a week, so I'm sorry about that... I'll give you guys notice if I'm about to leave again, 'kay?
But, I have great news! Two of my newer reviewers have figured out that 'Asudem' is 'Medusa' AND let me know that they have! YEA!
GO YOU!
They are... drumroll please...
Rae-Lynn Potter and angel pixy faerie
GO YOU!
P.S.: to angel pixy faerie, don't worry, we'll see more of Harry socializing with our girl.
anyway, thanks to my reviewers again!! You guys completely and totally ROCK! Infinitely so.
They are:
pokenerd56 chyeah, I know that, but Hp is fantasy, and I'm a fantasy girl, soo... it all adds up. You're right about the first chapters, the grammar and spelling in them ARE pretty bad... I think I'll go repost them... someday...
SiriusLives001 (the writer formerly known as greekwitch) I'll spill a little... he will be, in spirit, featured a bit – no, not ghosts, that'd just be dumb, it doesn't hold with the rest of the story... but... okay, shutting up now or I'll give too much away! Be patient! Oh, and I'm glad you don't mind the fluffiness – that was the most random thing I've done for a while, so I wasn't sure (note the warning)
MutalatedTurtle sigh Unfortunately, I'm not sure, as I haven't seen A SINGLE TRAILER for the stupid movie yet. grr... And did you note the warning? Beginning of chapter 21, DID YOU NOTE THE WARNING?? haha oh well, you sound shocked enough – verge of retching kind of shock, albeit, but I DID warn you! haha
Dark Lullaby I love your name! Now that's done, onto your review. I hadn't really thought about that when I wrote the chapter... the whole dungeon classroom thing kinda slipped my mind. grimace Something that a writer should always be wary of... sorry! As to the Sorting Hat, I just wanted to do it, so I did. shrug That's about it. Others have done things far worse to the World of Harry Potter... I shudder to think of some... shudder See?
Glass Dragon Aw, thanks for worrying about me! Anyway, like I said, I'll let you guys know next time I leave or won't be posting for a while, kay? You reader/reviewers are great! sniff
sad-soulz haha I will
Briar Rose1 I'm glad you like Kit. She's a blend of previous characters who never made the final cut. I think this might take a while to finish, though, so you'll have to bear with me to find out all that'll happen.
mistik-elf13 Thank you! I've been trying for a regular update date, but it's been hard... so bear with me! And keep reading!!
Axisha Cool name! But, like I say below, I DID give you fair warning... but I'm glad you still like my story! I probably should have put this down earlier, the song is 'Dance With My Father' by Luther Vandross, so I don't own it and this is my belated disclaimer... so don't sue me!
Escaped I'm glad to be back! Also, what's the point of reading a good story if you never tell anyone else about it? heehee I'm glad to know I'm not alone on the Cho issue... she just really ticks me off sometimes, she's so annoying! Ugh! I just had to do that one extra long, as a makeup to all those I'd depressed... also, it had been three chapters at one point, but I accidently started to write up the second chapter on the first one and didn't realize my mistake until after I had fixed it to go with the first one as one entity... if that makes sense. Of course, I could have just cut and pasted. shrug That's me for you. Lastly, I am so glad to find out that someone doesn't mind the fluffy songfic OCC issue of chapter twenty one! Yea!
By the way, I know that some people have been shocked by the songfic chapter, so some hate it and some love it – but to those who hated it, let me remind you, I did give you fair warning... Maybe I should add a READ AT YOUR OWN RISK the next time I do that. If I do. haha
Just in general, the weird thing about writing this is that I've got 22 chapters already and it feels like barely a thing! I hope it won't be another 'Gone with the Wind' (have you seen how thick that is?) but I hope I'll have enough stuff to finish it!
I just want to say thank you for staying with me this far and reviewing! What you say, positive or not, really helps me to get my bearings and figure out what to do next. It's really great to know that you guys really want to find out what comes next!
Thanks so much!
Onto Chapter Twenty Three!
Later, when the two walked off the dance floor, Draco finally asked where Kit was spending Christmas.
"I'm going home with you."
As soon as the words left her mouth she winced. Could I be anymore abrupt? She wondered.
Glancing up, she found him staring at her.
"Wh- what?"
Blaise, with his usual impeccable timing, came charging up to them right then.
"I just heard! This is so unfair!" He complained loudly.
Kit, although thankful for his interruption, was nonplussed. "What is?"
"This!" He said plaintively, "Dumbledore setting you up to go to Draco's house while I have to stay here over the holidays, alone and lonely, only dreaming of the fun you two will be having!"
He heaved a sigh and sniffed.
"Aw Blaise, it's only a week." Kit comforted. "Besides, do you really want us around while Angea's... visiting? You did know she was staying the holidays as well, didn't you?" She added with a grin.
This news caused Blaise to perk up considerably, seeing as the two had made up.
"Oh. Well, I guess the week won't be too terrible in that case."
Kit giggled at his sudden change of view.
"You're wonderful, you know that Blaise?"
"Of course I do," He replied arrogantly, "but now that you've finally noticed, are you ready to profess your undying love to me?"
"Whoa, what happened to Angea?" She said with a laugh.
"Hey, why can't I take after my photo image?" He waggled his eyebrows.
About to nudge him, she thought twice, instead leaning over to kiss his cheek instead.
"Will that suffice?" She asked sweetly.
"Not as long as other shows of affection might." He replied with a wicked grin.
Kit couldn't help but laugh as she reached over to hug him.
"I guess I'll see you guys in a week..." He sighed reluctantly.
They had reached the entrance doors of Hogwarts. Outside, the snow was falling softly.
"Looks like it'll be a white Christmas." She murmured.
Blaise cleared his throat. "Uh – when you get back, look in your kitchen, 'kay? I've got my Christmas gift for you in there."
She looked up at him. "Thank you Blaise. That's really sweet! It's also quite a coincidence, as my gift to you happens to be in there as well." She grinned. "Look in the oven once you get back."
His face brightened. "Okay! Happy Christmas, you guys."
As he left, Harry came up to them. Needless to say, he didn't look too happy.
"H- hi, Harry." Kit started nervously. Suddenly, she straightened. She shouldn't be nervous. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Well, maybe she should've told him, but still.
Wordlessly, he came up to her and handed her her cloak.
"I – I guess Ginny told you which family I'm staying with, huh?"
Instead of answering, he turned to glare at Draco. For a moment, the latter returned the glare before sighing and moving away.
"Why did you agree to stay with the Malfoy family?" Harry rounded on her.
"Wh- what are you talking about?" She asked in surprise. "It was Dumbledore who put me up with them! If he didn't trust them, why would he allow me to stay with them?" She demanded before answering herself. "He wouldn't."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Come on, Harry," She persisted, "The reason I didn't tell you was because I knew you'd get like this. Everything will be fine!"
"Like you know that." He replied shortly. After a moment, he sighed. "Will you promise to be careful?"
Kit grinned up at him. "What, don't you trust me?"
"I trust you perfectly. It's him I don't care for." He jerked his head to where Draco was standing, arms crossed, a stony expression on his face.
Kit's grin turned into a smile. "Don't worry." She said softly.
"I think that's going to be impossible." He said with a frown. Slowly, his frown disappeared and his cheeks tinged pink.
"Um – this is for you." He said, handing her a tiny velvet bag.
Hesitantly, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Happy Christmas, Kit."
A warm smile spread across her face. "Thank you Harry. I'll open it on the train. I've got something for you, too," She said as she reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small, tissue wrapped object. "Happy Christmas."
It was a copy of 'High Flying: A Guide to the Most Famous Plays the Wizarding World has Ever Seen' – by Ai R. Head, along with the official notice of her newly assumed position of Advisor to the Hogwart's Quidditch Teams.
Quickly, she hugged him one last time before turning and heading toward the doors.
About to follow, Draco stopped as he heard Harry's voice behind him.
"I swear Malfoy, if you try anything..."
A smirk was his only response to the passing threat.
But, even though it did seem to Harry that, incredible as it may seem, Draco Malfoy might have actually found something worthy of his care, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy as he watched the two walked off in the falling snow.
A large part of his mind wouldn't let him forget that this was Draco Malfoy, heir of everything evil, even if his father was in Azkaban... and he was letting Kit walk off with him for a week.
He shuddered.
Knowing she could take care of herself wasn't much when she was walking right next to a pretty looking devil.
"So... are we taking the train?"
"Yeah."
Kit looked up at her strangely silent friend, silhouetted by the foggy glow of moonlight. Once again, she couldn't help but marvel at his appearance; he looked so... regal. So majestic. Almost perfect.
Unwittingly, she let out a sigh, drawing the descripted's attention. For a moment, their eyes locked.
"What?" He asked softly.
Kit gave a shrug and smiled. "Nothing."
The two lapsed into silence again.
Suddenly, a gust of wind sent the snowflakes flurrying into a mini blizzard and Kit at the mercy of her skirt.
Almost laughing, Draco watched as her long, full skirt blossomed out, acting as wings and pulling her along with the whims of the wind.
"Just sit down!" He called to the girl now five yards away, when two seconds ago she had been at his side.
"W- what! Do you know how c- cold snow is?" She called back, teeth chattering in the biting wind.
"It's either that or we'll never get to the train – or maybe you could just fly there!"
"Or – or m-maybe you c-could actu-tually do s-something!"
With a long suffering sigh, he tromped through the miniature snow drifts to where Kit was valiantly battling the wind while trying to hold her skirts down at her sides, to keep them from acting as sails.
Coming up behind her, he scooped her up and started carrying her back toward the walkway.
"W-wait! I dr-dropped H-Harry's p- present!"
Rolling his eyes, Draco turned back and began scanning the snow for her gift. There it was – a little red peeked from one of the drifts. Setting Kit down while keeping hold of one of her hands, he leant down to get it – and slipped, pulling her down with him.
Gasping, he shot up and tried to rid himself of the cold snow slithering down his back.
"T-too – c-cold..." He gasped, writhing. Now that the snow inside his shirt had melted, he was left with an icy liquid covering his back.
"L-let's g-go..."
"Oh, I've h-had it!" Kit suddenly pulled out her wand and called, "Inferno!"
Under natural circumstances, the spell would cause a thin line of fire to shoot out of the wand, the width of it depending on the wizard's wish.
But under the snow and wind, a jet of heat shot out the wand and spread to cover the area in front of the two, melting the snow and leaving a warm path to follow.
"C'mon." Kit said through gritted teeth. They still wanted to chatter.
"W-why didn't you d-do that in the f-first place?!" Draco exclaimed as the forged their way towards the train station.
"If you didn't notice, it wasn't til then that the wind picked up and became bitingly cold." She reminded him. "Though it's stopped now."
Sure enough, the wind had left, leaving in its wake only soft full flakes once again.
Kit pocketed her wand and glanced around as the two walked on. Students were trickling out of the castle by three's and four's, exchanging their gifts and boarding the train, some staying together until reaching Platform 9 and ¾.
"I guess we'd better hurry if we want to find an empty compartment." Draco murmured, scanning the crowd.
Kit watched him for a moment. "Who are you looking for?"
"Huh?" Startled, his gaze returned to Kit. "I – oh. Nobody. Just – automatic reaction, I guess. Let's go."
Nonplussed, Kit followed him onto the train as he peered into the windows of compartments until they found an empty one.
Just as they sat down, Draco stretching out his legs on one seat, her mirroring him on the other, the clock struck midnight.
A cheer could be heard winding out of the Great Hall as Christmas Day arrived for its occupants; the students on the Hogwarts Express cheered too, though they'd have to wait a few hours before they could enjoy their Christmas.
Kit smiled faintly at her boarding partner. "Happy Christmas, Draco."
Her hand dived once again into her dress pocket and produced a small object wrapped in tissue paper.
"I didn't have time to get a box for it," She said as she reached over to hand it to him, "and I know that it's kind of a weird gift for a guy, but – I saw it and you were the thing it brought to mind."
Unfolding the tissue paper, Draco found a thin, white gold chain interspersed with silver in the shape of a dragon. It even had feet spaced out along the chain, the head being the clasp swallowing the tale. The silver sections shimmered like scales.
"It's a bracelet." She shrugged. "Like I said, it's kind of weird – but it fits, doesn't it?"
Draco glanced up briefly and grinned. "Yeah. I don't think it's all that weird, anyway. Wonderfully crafted, too..." He commented as he watched it slither around his arm and back down to his wrist, the white diamond eyes glinting up at him.
Suddenly, he cleared his throat and reached into his hat. "I – I have something for you, too."
He handed her a pale blue box tied with silver ribbon.
Grinning, Kit untied the bow and lifted the lid. "Knowing you, it's bound to be... something..."
Her voice trailed off as she looked into the box. Cushioned in the mother- of-pearl lining was another box, this one as big as her thumb and clear. Inside was a whirl of something, almost like he had trapped a storm of color inside. It flashed and whipped, twirling like a dustcloud.
"What – what is it?" She breathed.
"At home, over summer break, my mother taught me to isolate and solidify the essence of someone." He answered. "This – this is you. I have one, too." He said and brought a tiny box of his own, this one filled with a blue and silver cloud. He cleared his throat. "This is me. When I was little, I used to be blue and yellow. Last year, and the year before that, I was black and red. At the end of last year, though, the red disappeared and turned silver." Draco glanced up at her again. "It wasn't until recently that I got the blue back again."
Thoroughly entranced, Kit leaned closer to compare his to hers, a little frown hovering between her eyes.
"I don't get it." She said. "Why is mine so many different colors and yours only two?" She queried.
Draco sat back again. "I'm not exactly sure, but it might have something to do with your eyes."
Impulsively, Kit reached a hand to her face.
"Why do they do that, anyway?" Draco asked curiously. It had always been a subject of extreme intrigue, but he had never figured out a way to bring it up without seeming nosy.
"I – I'm not sure." Kit replied, avoiding his gaze.
"Did either of your parents have eyes like that?" He persisted.
"My mother." She answered shortly.
"What about before that?" Technically, this question would be considered prying, but the words popped out of his mouth before he could check them.
Nice going, he thought as he watched Kit's face stiffen. Perhaps Blaise's bluntness was rubbing off on him, he mused. The thought was accompanied by an involuntary shudder. Anything but that.
"I – I don't know."
A stiff silence fell between the two as Draco tried to remember what he was going to say before the question of her eyes had come up.
"The odd thing," He started softly, "is that if a person switches their essence with another, it will form a bond between them. My mother has part of me, so I know – I know when she's having a nightmare. I can go into her dream then and wake her." He snorted softly. "The funny thing is," he continued in a whisper, "she used to do that exact thing for me."
Draco glanced up at Kit. She had a faraway look in her eyes and Draco wondered what she was thinking of.
He cleared his throat. "Would – would you mind – holding onto this?" He held out his silver and blue swirl.
Kit looked up at him and smiled. "It would be my pleasure." She replied softly. "But only if you do the same for me."
A small smile lit on his face as he took the tiny box presented to him and exchanged it with his own.
"It would be my pleasure." He repeated.
A sudden glint came into her eye. "Could you transfer this to another object?" She demanded.
"What?" Draco asked confusedly.
Kit's cheeks warmed. "What I mean is, Harry gave me a locket. I gave you the bracelet. The dragon's head opens, you see, to act as a locket as well. If we moved our essences into those, we wouldn't have to worry about losing them – and that way," her ears were burning, she just knew it, "we - we could always be close. Um." Kit chanced a look up. "What do you think?"
For a moment, Draco seemed lost in thought before a smirk worked its way across his face. "I'd be joined with Potter's gift. How ironic..."
"Then you'll do it?"
He shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's practical, and I could do it right now, if you want. Besides," he continued, "I like the thought of being... closer."
Kit laughed. "Draco, I'm surprised at you! You're starting to sound like Blaise!"
He shuddered and murmured. "Heaven forbid..."
She began to laugh again, but was cut off halfway by an rebellious yawn.
Draco sat up, eyes twinkling. "What? Don't tell me you're tired already?" He asked through barely suppressed laughter.
Kit tried to glare at him, but ended up shutting her eyes for another yawn. "H- hey, it's from the stress o- of it all." Two yawns accompanied that sentence.
"Yeah." Draco smirked. "Maybe you should close those little, heavy lidded eyes of yours so you can get your sleep, youngling."
Her traitorous eyelids were all too quick to obey and shut, barely leaving her time to murmur, "D- don't call me... that... Remmy..."
Sleep claimed her.
Draco frowned uncertainly at her sentence. Did he hear right? Had she called him 'Remmy'? Who was that?
With a sigh, he shrugged and marked it off as another mystery of Kit, the girl with no surname. He didn't have any business prying into her life; he had enough secrets to know to honor hers.
For a moment, he watched her sleeping form, sprawled across the seat opposite him, smirking at the ironic contrast of her 19th century dress and the fact that she let her legs show. His gaze traveled down to the little velvet pouch she still clutched and remembered the necklace she had mentioned.
He might as well spell it now.
After he was done, he gingerly clasped the locket around her neck, praying not to wake her as he moved her hair out of the way. He didn't.
Once that was finished, he leant back in his seat, fiddling with the bracelet she had given him and thinking. On what, his face didn't tell. But slowly, he too drifted off into slumber.
Regular disclaimers apply... I love my character! (and Draco)
Hey! I guess I scared some peeps by not giving any notice that I'd be gone for a week, so I'm sorry about that... I'll give you guys notice if I'm about to leave again, 'kay?
But, I have great news! Two of my newer reviewers have figured out that 'Asudem' is 'Medusa' AND let me know that they have! YEA!
GO YOU!
They are... drumroll please...
Rae-Lynn Potter and angel pixy faerie
GO YOU!
P.S.: to angel pixy faerie, don't worry, we'll see more of Harry socializing with our girl.
anyway, thanks to my reviewers again!! You guys completely and totally ROCK! Infinitely so.
They are:
pokenerd56 chyeah, I know that, but Hp is fantasy, and I'm a fantasy girl, soo... it all adds up. You're right about the first chapters, the grammar and spelling in them ARE pretty bad... I think I'll go repost them... someday...
SiriusLives001 (the writer formerly known as greekwitch) I'll spill a little... he will be, in spirit, featured a bit – no, not ghosts, that'd just be dumb, it doesn't hold with the rest of the story... but... okay, shutting up now or I'll give too much away! Be patient! Oh, and I'm glad you don't mind the fluffiness – that was the most random thing I've done for a while, so I wasn't sure (note the warning)
MutalatedTurtle sigh Unfortunately, I'm not sure, as I haven't seen A SINGLE TRAILER for the stupid movie yet. grr... And did you note the warning? Beginning of chapter 21, DID YOU NOTE THE WARNING?? haha oh well, you sound shocked enough – verge of retching kind of shock, albeit, but I DID warn you! haha
Dark Lullaby I love your name! Now that's done, onto your review. I hadn't really thought about that when I wrote the chapter... the whole dungeon classroom thing kinda slipped my mind. grimace Something that a writer should always be wary of... sorry! As to the Sorting Hat, I just wanted to do it, so I did. shrug That's about it. Others have done things far worse to the World of Harry Potter... I shudder to think of some... shudder See?
Glass Dragon Aw, thanks for worrying about me! Anyway, like I said, I'll let you guys know next time I leave or won't be posting for a while, kay? You reader/reviewers are great! sniff
sad-soulz haha I will
Briar Rose1 I'm glad you like Kit. She's a blend of previous characters who never made the final cut. I think this might take a while to finish, though, so you'll have to bear with me to find out all that'll happen.
mistik-elf13 Thank you! I've been trying for a regular update date, but it's been hard... so bear with me! And keep reading!!
Axisha Cool name! But, like I say below, I DID give you fair warning... but I'm glad you still like my story! I probably should have put this down earlier, the song is 'Dance With My Father' by Luther Vandross, so I don't own it and this is my belated disclaimer... so don't sue me!
Escaped I'm glad to be back! Also, what's the point of reading a good story if you never tell anyone else about it? heehee I'm glad to know I'm not alone on the Cho issue... she just really ticks me off sometimes, she's so annoying! Ugh! I just had to do that one extra long, as a makeup to all those I'd depressed... also, it had been three chapters at one point, but I accidently started to write up the second chapter on the first one and didn't realize my mistake until after I had fixed it to go with the first one as one entity... if that makes sense. Of course, I could have just cut and pasted. shrug That's me for you. Lastly, I am so glad to find out that someone doesn't mind the fluffy songfic OCC issue of chapter twenty one! Yea!
By the way, I know that some people have been shocked by the songfic chapter, so some hate it and some love it – but to those who hated it, let me remind you, I did give you fair warning... Maybe I should add a READ AT YOUR OWN RISK the next time I do that. If I do. haha
Just in general, the weird thing about writing this is that I've got 22 chapters already and it feels like barely a thing! I hope it won't be another 'Gone with the Wind' (have you seen how thick that is?) but I hope I'll have enough stuff to finish it!
I just want to say thank you for staying with me this far and reviewing! What you say, positive or not, really helps me to get my bearings and figure out what to do next. It's really great to know that you guys really want to find out what comes next!
Thanks so much!
Onto Chapter Twenty Three!