So I'm a week late. Give me a break. Swimming meets just started this week and so did school. Now, I'm very tired and Naruto ep 17 has just finished downloading, so, Ja!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related to Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Goddess J.K.Rowling who will hopefully soon bestow us with Book Six. Freesia op.2 doesn't belong to me either. It belongs to my beloved Gackt. Anyway, this fic is done solely for fun and no profit is being made off of it. In fact, I'm losing money doing this and not working.
Warning: OOC!Draco. Will be Draco/Ron slash. They are going to have sex, but that'll come after they get together, which isn't in the close future, unfortunately.
Freesia op.2 by Aloh Dark
Fourth Chapter
The next morning when Ron awoke, it was to an empty bed. The pillow that Draco had been laying on was cold to Ron's touch and there was no sign that Draco had ever been in the room at all. Just when he was about to put Draco being in his room at all down as a dream, he heard angry screaming from the hall. Ron got up and opened his door and walked to the staircase. He stared down at a towel clad, dripping wet Draco and an amused Bill.
"Give Me Back My Cloths!" Draco yelled at him, slightly panicky.
"They're in the wash. They're wetter than you are." Bill said.
"Then DRY them! I need my cloths!" Draco yelled.
"Wear a pair of Ron's. He's the only one about your size." Bill said. "Unless you want to wear one of Ginny's dress'."
Draco glared down at him and stomped back into the bathroom. The door closed with a slam behind him.
"Is he always like that?" Bill asked Ron, looking up at him.
"Worse." Ron told him with a shrug. "But at least the poultice worked."
"I don't think with that temper he'd have notice if it was still hurting." Bill commented.
"He wouldn't be out of bed if it hurt in the least." Ron said before turning and going back to his room.
He rummaged through his old cloths in his closet for something that would fit Draco's small frame. What he found were pants and a shirt, both never worn, from an aunt that lived like a muggle in America. They'd been a birthday gift a year ago but Ron had never worn them since they'd been too small for him. He figured that they'd be just about right for Draco.
Ron carried the cloths down to the bathroom and knocked on the door. When Draco told him he could enter, he did. He found Draco standing in front of the sink, looking into the mirror. To Ron's surprise he was shaving.
"What? Didn't think I shaved?" Draco asked as he rinsed the blades before moving on to shave his other cheek.
"Just surprised you do, is all." Ron said. "Didn't think you had to."
"You may not be able to see the hair but I don't like feeling them when I touch my face." Draco said with a shrug.
Ron watched Draco for a few minutes before realizing what he was doing. "You can wear these while yours are being washed. I've never worn them before since when my aunt gave them they were too small. They should fit you, though."
"Thanks." Draco said absently as he shaved.
"You welcome." Ron said as he left the bathroom. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where Bill was cooking breakfast.
"You find any cloths for him?" Bill asked while setting the pancake batter to mix itself.
"Yes. Some pants and a shirt Aunt Debbie gave to me last year." Ron said, sitting down. He noticed that the table had been moved and Fwella laid in the space that was cleared. "And how are you this morning?" He asked her.
/My rumps a bit worse from wear but nothing as bad as when a wolf got at me./ She said kindly. When Draco had been falling, he'd dug his nails into her and gave her some scratches along her back.
A few minutes before breakfast was done, Draco showed up in the kitchen. He was limping slightly but showed no signs of any pain. He greeted Fwella before anyone noticed he'd come in.
"Could you set the table, please?" Bill asked as he nodded to the dishes piled by the sink. "Those are clean."
Draco was going to glare and refuse but Fwella stopped him. He grudgingly walked over and grabbed three plates. He placed them at on the table in front of the chairs before going back for cups. When he was finished he sat down at the plate by Fwella.
He watched Ron as he placed plates piled with pancakes, eggs, toast and bacon on the table. Bill placed butter, jelly and syrup on the table before they sat.
"Hope your hungry." Bill said. "I tend to cook for ten even if it's only me."
Draco didn't know how to respond so he just took some pancakes and bacon and placed them on his plate. To his surprise, the food was excellent. It was better than what he sometimes ate at home. He didn't know what made it better, but it was.
While they ate, Bill pulled Draco into a lively discussion about modern music. To Ron's surprise Draco knew a lot about muggle music as well as magical. He was also surprised to find out that some of Draco's favorite groups were muggle. Since Ron didn't listen to too much music he couldn't add much to the topic but when the subject changed to Hogwarts, he was a regular participant.
When breakfast was done, with most of the food gone, Draco gingerly helped Ron with the dishes. Although he only dried them after Ron finished washing them. Both noticed that they didn't argue once but both were unwilling to mention that or anything that would start an argument.
When they were finished with the dishes, Bill went to check on the laundry. Ron, Draco and Fwella went outside for some space. The three were sitting in the grass talking about Pegasus' with Fwella when Bill came out of the house. He handed Draco his freshly washed and dried cloths.
"Thanks." Draco said as he took them. He started to head back to the house to change.
"Just keep the cloths." Ron said, making Draco halt. "They're too small for me and they look good on you."
Draco looked down at the cloths and shrugged. "They're okay." He muttered.
/Come on whelp./ Fwella said to Draco. /I've got to get you home./
Draco snorted at her. /You know as well as I do that I have no home./ He told her as he climbed onto her back.
"Thanks for the meal and the cloths." He said with a nod of his head.
"Don't mention it." Bill said.
"I trust this won't get out?" Draco said with a raised eyebrow.
"You have our word." Bill said.
Draco nodded again and Fwella took flight.
When they reached the house, Fwella dropped Draco off before flying away again. They'd agreed on the way back that it'd be safer for Fwella to stay off of Malfoy property for a few days. Neither wanted anything to happen to her.
When Draco stepped inside the house, Vek immediately took Draco to his room. He didn't bother with walking, he just snapped and they were teleported to Draco's chamber.
"Must change you!" Vek said hurriedly. "Trouble, trouble, very trouble."
Draco watched as Vek quickly pulled out cloths for Draco. He noticed that Vek had a nearly unnoticeable limp and hunch. Draco seethed with anger. His father had beat Vek.
"No." Draco said sternly.
"No?" Vek asked, turning to Draco.
"No. I'm going to him as I am. Right now. I am not going to cater to his whim anymore." Draco's face softened. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you."
Vek nodded and snapped his fingers. Draco was facing the breakfast room and Vek was beside him. "Go back to my room and wait for me there. You are not to leave, no matter what. You know what you have to do."
Vek nodded and scurried away.
Draco took a deep breath and rallied up his confidence. He put his hand on the door and swung it open. He walked into the room and towards where his mother and father were eating.
"So, the disobedient son has come home?" Lucius said, whipping his mouth with a napkin.
"I guess my rebellion will be childish and reckless after all, Father." Draco commented.
"How senseless of you." Lucius told him before taking a bite of his hard boiled egg.
"The actions may be stupid but they make me feel better about myself. Unlike catering to your whims which makes me feel like a cheep whore." Draco said.
His mother gasped and dropped her spoon. His father's hand paused mid air before slowly falling back to his plate.
"What did you just say?" He asked coldly.
"I said that catering to you makes me feel like a cheep whore." Draco replied.
"My, my. You have guts after all. A pity." Lucius glared at his son. "You are going to pay dearly for those remarks."
"And how are you going to do that father?" Draco asked, taking a step forward. "By beating my house elf again? Or by confining me to the house?" Draco took another step forward. "Please Father, tell me how you plan to make me pay?" Lucius was taken aback by his sons outright disobedience. Draco gave a snorted laugh and smiled bitterly. "You don't even know what would hurt me the most."
Lucius slammed his hands, palm down, onto the table and rattled everything violently. "Do you take me for a fool?!" He roared.
"I know you are no fool. But I also know that you have very limited sight." Draco said calmly. "Especially when it comes to things you think you have under your control."
"Limited sight?" Lucius snarled. Then he smirked. "I see more than you could ever realize."
"Tell me then, Father, what is my favorite colour?" Draco asked. He folded his arms across his chest.
His father blinked at him and frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It would prove how much you can see, for one." Draco said.
"I don't see how it proves anything. Favorite colours prove nothing."
"Well I am wearing the color right now, so I guess that proves you have great sight after all." Draco sneered.
Both his parents finally took notice of the cloths he was wearing. Narsissa began to rise out of her seat, thought better of it, and sat down again. Lucius just took in his cloths angrily.
Draco was wearing a yellow shirt that hung half way down his thighs with a royal blue Chinese dragon circling it with his head resting on the left shoulder. The pants were dark blue jeans and baggy.
"Where did you get those?" He asked.
"They were a gift." Draco said with a shrug. "I like them. They're very comfortable."
"Where did you get them?" Lucius asked again.
"I told you. They were a gift." Draco said. He knew that if he was lying his father would know. He also knew that he wasn't lying and that was infuriating his father.
"From whom?" His father bit out from between his teeth.
"I didn't ask." Draco shrugged.
"Get out." Lucius whispered. "Get Out!" He said louder. "GET OUT!!" He screamed.
"As you wish." Draco said with a mocking bow. He heard his father throw something against the wall and his mother scream as he closed the door.
When he reached his room, Vek was waiting for him. Draco crumpled heavily onto the seat in his bay window while Vek watched him worriedly.
"As of yet, I have no punishment." Draco said. "But I don't plan on staying to find out."
Vek nodded. "Where go?"
Draco thought a moment as he rubbed his eyes. "Is the old hunting lodge still standing?"
"Believe me yes." Vek said.
"Good. We'll go there." Draco told him.
"To Weasleys close." Vek said.
"I know." Draco said with a sigh. "But we have to pack and leave as quickly as possible."
Vek smiled at Draco. "Done." He said simply and gestured to the three bags by Draco's bed. "Magiked."
"You are the best, Vek." Draco said warmly.
Vek's smile grew. "Go we must. At all not if now not."
Draco smiled. "Sometimes it amazes me that I understand anything you say." Draco said before picking up the bags.
Vek shook his head and was about to snap his fingers when tentative knocking sounded at his door. Draco dropped the bags and kicked them under his bed. He walked over to the door and pulled it open himself. He knew it wasn't his father, since he would have just burst through the door without knocking. To his surprise his mother stood on the other side of the door.
"Mother?" Draco asked confused.
"May I come in?" She asked.
Draco stepped to the side and let his mother through. He closed the door behind her. She walked across the room and to the window seat. She patted the space next to her and Draco sat. He noticed that Vek was nowhere to be seen.
"Draco." She said sadly, looking into his eyes. "Why do you fight him?"
"I'm sorry mother, but I can't help it. I can't stand it anymore."
She raised her hand and cupped his cheek. "I'm sorry to say I know what you mean." She swallowed. "But I have to warn you. Your father is not well. Ever since the Dark Lord rose again, he's been like this. Only it's been getting worse and worse as the years gone. He's turning back into the man I married."
Draco noticed the tiny shudder that went through her. He's heard the whispered stories about his father before he was born. The man drunk on Voldemort's power and influence. He knew to an extent what his father had been like back then.
"I'm sorry Mum." Draco whispered.
She smiled sadly at him. "You know what you've always been taught by your father. And you know what I've always taught you."
Draco smiled at her. "It drove me crazy trying to keep everything straight. I liked your teachings so much more than his that I always wanted to follow yours."
"But you had to follow his." She finished. "And now, it's time for you to decide."
"Decide what?" He asked.
"You have to decide who you are going to follow now. You father. Or your heart." She said as she gently moved a piece of hair behind his ear. "I suggest you follow you heart."
Draco nodded. "I'll try."
"That's all I'm asking." She pulled him into a hug and held him tight. When she stood, her face was in it's usual mask. "Your father and I are going to the Keep. You'll have the Manor to yourself for the summer."
Draco watched her leave without a word. Not for the first time, he wondered what had happened to his mother to change her from what he heard she was to what she is now. He figured his father had no small part in the change.
"Vek?" Draco called a half hour later.
"Yes?" Vek asked a moment later.
"Unpack the bags. We're staying after all. And when you're done call Fwella back. I'll be at the lake taking a swim if I'm needed."
Vek nodded and pulled the bags out from under the bed. He opened one and handed the box of music orbs to Draco. Draco took it and placed it on his bed. He grabbed a towel from his bathroom before picking up the box and leaving.
It was a two hour hike from the Manor to the lake where he swam. It usually took only a half hour or less for him to get there, but then he was usually on a horse or Fwella. He felt like walking so it took him that much longer. He'd taken out one of his orbs and it was following like a trained puppy playing Obscurity songs.
'Listless' was playing when he reached the lake. He set down his towel and the box before stretching. He gazed across the lake as he took his cloths off. The pants had become very uncomfortable since he'd been wearing no underwear and he was glad to be getting rid of them. He climbed up into a tree on the lake edge and walked across a limb until he was out over the water. From his perch he pushed out and dove smoothly into the water. The orb still followed him, but never went under the water. The lake was huge and each shore bordered different properties. The west bank belong to Malfoy's and the east bank Weasley's.
Mermaids lived at the depths of the lake and sometimes came up to greet Draco while he swam. When he was young he made friends with several mermaids about his age and they taught him their language while he taught them his. But he didn't see any of them as he casually swam the lake.
By mid day he decided to swim to the small island in the middle of the lake. Draco, despite his size, was a strong swimmer but the task of swimming to the island was still a chore. He was exhausted when he reached the islands sandy shore.
He laid on the shore and sun bathed. He didn't stir as he heard something walking towards him out of the trees on the island. "Good day Fwella."
/How'd you know it was me?/ She asked.
"Nothing else on this spit of land makes so much noise when they move."
/Are you calling me heavy?/
"No. Just big boned."
She nipped his leg just hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to leave a bruise. Draco cracked his eye open at her and noticed she had a basket on her back.
"Who's that from?" He asked as he got up and untied it from her.
/Vek./
"I supposed you've already been fed." He said.
/Just a half hour ago or so. So it's all yours./
"Thanks." He said as he sat against her and opened up the basket. He ate in silence, sometimes giving something to Fwella. By the time he was ready to leave, his skin was a near normal shade on both sides from the sun.
/I noticed what happened this morning./ Fwella told him as he packed the basket with the empty foodstuffs.
"The fight?" Draco asked.
/No. With the youngest Weasley boy./
"What about Weasel?" Draco asked.
/You were nice to him. And I, as well as he, appreciated that./
Draco lowered his eyes. "I'm not a complete arse you know."
/I know. But he didn't. Now he knows though./
Draco looked up at the sky. "I'm glad."
When Draco returned to the manor, his parents were gone as well as most of the house elves. Only a skeleton staff was left. Draco didn't care though since he knew he wasn't going to be spending much time inside the house at all.
Although, as he sat by himself eating dinner, he realize just how incredibly big the house was. Especially when you were all alone.
TBC
Thanks To!!!!
Faint Hate!!!! Lol, how do you know the ending already?! You only read three chaps! Is it that obvious? Hehe.
I Heart DM 11!!!! You'll find out what he admitted later. Ah! Sorry this was late!! Heh, I love tormenting them, I just had to do it.
Sinister Katsuya!!!! Yes, Gackt :D!!! Thanks so much!
ElvenGirl2!!! Thank you, lovie. Hope you enjoyed this!!