HEY! This is the start of a story and the chapters wont all be this long, but i'll try to keep them frequent, Winterum is coming up so I'll have loads of time to write. If anyone knows a good Beta or is one I really need one, I'd love it if you told me about one. HUGS!
Story: Chapter One (posted 2/13/05)
Hills rose in all directions, causing the thin road to twist sharply through the thin woods. The hills became more dramatic and soon seemed more like mountains, and the forest grew thicker until the road was marked on either side by a thick barrier of trees with limbs blotting out the sunlight overhead.
Any fool who'd made it so far was sure to know where exactly they were headed, but if they didn't, they truly were a fool. For ahead, beyond a heavy iron gate with snakes and roses made of twisted metal, beyond a line of ancient magical defenses and a pair of vicious but well trained dragons, sat a great house. On a hill, cleared of woods and covered in gardens and fields for the unicorns and diacorns and nightmares, the castle waited. Since 200 AD the castle had belonged to the most pure of purebloods and most dangerous of enemies, the Malfoy family. Its sprawling wings and vast dungeons deep below the surface proved the extent of the family's wealth.
Today though, a week before the son of Luscious Malfoy was to return to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, there was a distinct feeling of nervousness in the lady of the house.
Narcissa sat in the first floor drawing room, studying the Persian rug and nursing a glass of Cabernet. She was a beautiful and vain woman, white hair and pale skin, with seductive blue eyes that had lured men from across ballrooms and had one day lured Luscious Malfoy to her. She did, contrary to popular belief, love her son...to some extent, for heaven's sake she'd pushed the thing out of her uterus, she had to feel something for him. Luscious though, he was different from his wife, he adored his little boy and perfected him the way all Malfoy's were perfected. He was taught to eat, speak, walk, think and move as though he were a god and was blessed by the universe with such heritage.
Today, well today was going to be one of those days. Draco Octavian was a month away from being sixteen and, at that, there had been some plans made. Serious plans, to keep the lines pure and to make sure everything turned out okay...in the long run that is. Luscious was pacing the room, waiting for his son to awaken and come down for morning meal and the Prophet.
They only needed to wait another moment before the door opened and a slightly confused looking Draco walked in, behind him one of the house-elves had just popped out of view.
"Mother? Father? What is it? Juji said you wanted to speak to me," Draco walked forward and seated himself opposite of his mother.
"We've got some news Draco, you know how we've been encouraging you to date around and let loves and lusts flash and fizzle before your sixteenth birthday?" Luscious asked his boy.
"Yes..." Draco answered him cautiously; he'd been doing nothing of the sort mind you. At Hogwarts the girls were low-class and crude and didn't interest him in the slightest.
"There's been a reason," Narcissa prompted her husband.
"We've found you a wife in Pansy Parkinson, you'll be married at Christmas when you're both sixteen," Luscious spoke a little quickly.
There was a moment of silence where Draco looked at his parents emotionless. Then, ever so slowly, his eyes narrowed dangerously and his upper lip curled back. A low hiss escaped him, "You what?"
"A-" before Luscious could continue a scream caused he and his wife to go silent. They cringed sharply and covered their ears, around them they were fairly certain the Manor was crumbling down at the volume and pitch of their sons shriek.
But about twenty miles away the parents of Pansy Parkinson were dealing with a similar situation.
On Privet Drive, a thin boy sat staring at the ceiling, wondering what to do for the last five days of his summer vacation. He was very thin and his clothes were several times his size and were rolled, pinned, tied and cut in an array of ways. This did nothing for him though, since he was still very thin and his wild dark hair made him look something of a homeless orphan.
But that's precisely what he was, his home wasn't this house and his parents had died when he was very young when they were attacked by the Evil Lord Voldermort. He'd survived with nothing but a scar to show, and some magical abilities, like talking to snakes and being the only thing alive able to kill the reborn Dark Lord. Sometimes life just sucked ass.
But Harry Potter had spent the summer desperately trying not to die by starvation or exhaustion from his chores (mostly outdoors in the blazing sun). With the will to survive, he'd hardly had time to think about his godfather's death...during the day that is. During the night, he was a sleeping mental case. See his...wait a minute, you've read the goddamn book, you know what happened to Sirius right? Good, let's move on.
Downstairs, movement signaled that the Dursleys, his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley, the cousin he'd inherited these oversized clothes from. Harry sat up, peeling the bed sheet off his back and pulling on a shirt to replace it. He walked downstairs and saw Dudley letting Piers and Malcolm into the house. These were his gang friends, and the three had a nasty habit of beating up on Harry, even though Dudley was scared of Harry, he was more fearful of loosing his reputation.
"Hey Potter, what's new?" Piers asked, his beedy little eyes twinkled maliciously.
"Nothing really, just going down for some water," Harry walked past them but felt Malcolm grab the back of his shirt a second before he was stopped by it. "What do you need?"
"Oh, nothing," Malcolm said, letting go and blinking innocently. Harry rolled his eyes and walked to the kitchen, he heard the sexual comments the three had made as he left, but he didn't care. He left tomorrow, nothing really mattered anymore.
The next morning he did leave, he was dropped off at the Leaky Cauldron and that was that. No good-bye, not that it mattered and no connections to the Dursley house, not until next June anyway.
Inside he saw the normal group of people, in the corner he saw a group of sixth-year Slytherin students sitting around talking and looking rather peeved.
"Can you believe they want me, me-to marry you?" A voice, smooth and rather upset sounding asked from the shadows. Harry placed it as Malfoy but he couldn't tell who the prefect was talking to.
"No, my parents say I'm making the worst of a great situation. Great! I'm betrothed to you," a voice recognized as Pansy Parkinson answered him. Harry then remembered the other people sitting there. Next to the shadow called Draco Malfoy sat Blaise Zabini and beside him was Goyle. On the other side sat shadowed Pansy, Millicent Bulestrode and Crabbe on the end.
"That's wretched and it'll never work out," Blaise said, his hand was supporting his chin and his wrist was covered in glittering silver bracelets in an array of colors.
"I know!" two voices agreed with him.
"Tell your parents then, if neither one wants it, how can they make you?" Millicent said, looking between the two shadows.
"Easily, that's how," Malfoy said a little dramatically. Harry walked quietly to the counter and continued to listen in.
"Don't be histrionic Drake, we-we need to find some loop hole out of this," Pansy said, she contemplated for a moment and then spoke again, "what if I find someone else to date and stay with them through the wedding. That way, we can't get married."
"But what about when you break up?"
"You'll find someone, we'll alternate conflicting relationships until we're seventeen then we'll run away to Finland and hide out until the war is over, our parents keel, come back, get our money and mansions and go globetrotting," Pansy said with a flourish.
"That'll never work," Malfoy said.
"Why?"
"Cold weather chaps my lips," he said as if it was a crime.
"We'll go to Taihti, then," Pansy shrugged.
"Too hot, I'll tan."
"Iceland?"
"Stop trying Pansy, he wont agree," Blaise stopped the blonde before he could shoot that one down.
Pansy huffed and slumped in her seat. "What then?"
"Just don't do it," Blaise said with roll of his large hazel eyes.
"What?" the whole group looked at him.
"Don't say "I do," refuse, scream, kick, run-off, claims your gay or lesbian, refuse to go home for Christmas, say you've got a fatal illness, whatever. Just say no," Blaise explained as he sipped a frothing drink Harry suspected to be Fire Whisky.
The group was silent and Harry walked to Tom and got his room key, not really caring to hear anymore. Harry walked up the stairs in the back, finding his room and settling in. Malfoy betrothed to Parkinson? Harry felt himself cringe at the thought. It was nearly dinner so the Gryffindor walked back down. There he saw a small group of adult men standing with the Slytherin group. Luscious Malfoy, Jaspheth Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle Seniors, Vaden Zabini and Horus Bulestrode were all present.
Soon only the Zabini and Malfoys remained, the two father sat down across from their sons and ordered drinks. Harry took this opportunity to seat himself nearby, wanting to listen in.
"Blaise, my dear, what did you do today?" Vaden asked his son.
"We went to the Apothecary and restocked our potion supplies, got our school books and new quills. We bought a practice snitch and broom polish, plus I got a new tie and some shoes too," Blaise answered, sipping his drink again.
"What about you Draco?"
"I bought a new winter cloak and some chocolate. Blaise got himself a book on elves and I found a really interesting book on healing," Malfoy responded to his father's question.
"Good, I'm glad." Luscious smiled at his boy and then pulled out a small stack of Galleons. "Here, why don't you two stay here for the night? Vaden and I are going to a meeting at the Ministry and wouldn't be able to take you home until early in the morning."
"A night here only costs two Galleons father, it's almost like you're encouraging us to go and spend your money," Draco said, taking the stack from his father and counting them out.
"Well, we'll leave that to your interpretation Draco."
"Oh, and do take care of Blaise here, he has a habit of finding a foreign bed to sleep in," Vaden smiled slyly and stood up. Luscious followed him, smirking at his son. The two older men left, though Harry was certain it was a Death Eater meeting they were heading to and had something to do with crushing the Ministry.
"What do you think we should do Blaise?"
"I don't know, let's eat out and go to a show," the hazel-eyes boy answered, smiling the way his father had.
"Let's go," Malfoy and Zabini stood and left. "Where should we go for dinner?"
"How about we head Opal's?"
"Sounds good," Malfoy nodded to his companion.
Harry frowned, he wasn't too interested anymore, really he couldn't wait until Hermione and Ron arrived the next morning, then he could tell them about his summer, they could go shopping for school supplies and even go into Muggle London. That would be better than eavesdropping on Slytherins.
YAY! Please please please review!