Chapter 12: Shadows, Sorrow and Stakes
"Don't worry about the mess, we won't be in this room for long," whispered a voice from the shadows at the front of the room.
Students began looking around the room for the source of the voice. It was a smoky voice that seemed to waft from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was a voice that drifted and swirled through the shadows of the room. But Harry and a certain blonde Slytherin looked straight to the front of the classroom where they knew the voice was coming from.
A small shadow of a human figure parted from the rest of the gloom and moved to stand in front of the desk. "In fact," whispered the shadow, "I don't expect many of you to stay in this class." The cloaked figure moved and elegant pale hands emerged from the dark depths of the cloak's sleeves. The hands reached up and pulled the hood off revealing the person beneath. Gasps filled the room as the students got their first look at their new teacher.
"Definitely not deformed," Ginny muttered to Harry and Hermione, reminding them of the conversation at the Opening Fest.
"Nope, but I'm thinking the vampire thing might actually hold water," Hermione whispered.
Harry nodded. There was just no way that the woman at the front of the classroom could be human. She was like Draco; in the fact she was too ethereal looking and too beautiful to be real. Her hair was a unique shade of black, even in the gloom of the room Harry could see that it resembled the smoky charcoal gray color of hematite, like the one he had grounded up in Potions earlier that day. Her skin wasn't the same pale color as Draco's, not the exotic moonbeam coloring but a rich cream color. The pale skin tone and the gloom around her made her odd eyes stand out like bright gems. Her eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness and reach into a person's soul.
Harry shivered as those odd eyes landed on him. Odd, because they couldn't seem to decide on a color, they shifted from the black of an abyss, to pale gray, to deep violet, to bright cerulean blue, to a gold that could rival Gryffindor's, and to a pale green that reminded him of a Granny Smith apple. He sighed in relief once her eyes moved away from him and he continued his observation of her.
She was short, even shorter than he was. She probably only reached 5'3" in height and that was pushing it. She was young, at least compared to the other professors; being somewhere in her mid twenties. Her face was elfish with high cheekbones, a perfectly straight nose, finely arched eyebrows, and full lips. Her eyes, not only shifting from color to color, were almond shaped and slanted, almost animal-like in appearance. Harry couldn't put his finger on what animal she reminded him of, but she did have an animalistic quality to her. She stood completely still, not even the raise and fall of her chest was visible, and when she did move it was a swift prowl that had no excess movement. On top of that she had a regal bearing, like a Queen to some long forgotten realm.
Harry frowned. There was something else in the room. He could hear it whispering to the woman. But no one else seemed to notice it. That could only mean one thing, "Is there a snake in here?" he asked softly.
The woman looked at him then flowed across the room to stand in front of him. Harry found himself looking down at violet eyes. He blinked rapidly; he had seen those eyes before. Not the face or the body that the eyes belonged to, but those impossibly vivid violet-colored eyes. He couldn't put his finger on where he had seen them, but he had seen them, somewhere. Then her eyes shifted to pale gray and the urgency to remember where he had seen those eyes, vanished.
"Yes," was all the woman said, hissing it in parseltongue. She then shifted and moved back to the front of the room. Everyone in the room shared nervous glances, well not everyone. Mandy, Terry, Susan, and Hannah shared nervous glances. While Ginny, being true Gryffindor just shrugged it off. Hermione was looking at the woman with interest, like the woman was a new book that she just had to read. Ron glared angrily. Blaise raised an eyebrow in a very Malfoy-ish gesture. Draco gave a small frown and Nisha simply stood stoically, hardly even blinking.
"If you haven't guessed, I'm Alyssum Shadow. You will not address me as Professor or Miss or anything of the like. You will call me Alyssum or Shadow, I care not which. If that bothers you, then leave," Alyssum stated coolly, her kaleidoscope-like eyes drifting over the room. Students blinked in surprise at her statement, but none moved to leave.
"Also, if any of you have a problem with me being a parselmouth or are deathly afraid of snakes, I suggest you leave," Alyssum stated. Students exchanged glances and raised eyebrows, but again none moved to leave. None that is, except Hannah Abbott.
"I just want you to know that I don't have a problem with you being a parselmouth. Harry's a parselmouth and he's the nicest guy I know, so I know that that ability isn't necessarily a dark wizard trait. But, I'm terrified of snakes," Hannah explained.
Alyssum nodded to Hannah, who left quietly. "This class will be completely different then any of your other classes," Alyssum continued coolly, "This class is also quite dangerous, life or death dangerous, if that's a problem, I recommend you leave now."
Again glances were exchanged around the room, but nobody made any move to leave. Finally after a full ten minutes of nerve-racking silence, Mandy Brocklehurst moved to the door.
"Where are you going, Mandy?" Terry Boot demanded.
The Ravenclaw girl turned to look at Terry. "I'm leaving. As Ravenclaws we may thirst for knowledge, but I am not willing to put myself at risk to get it. I have no parents and two younger siblings to look after, I can't risk it."
"Understandable," Alyssum acknowledged. "You might want to join your friend," she said looking at Terry.
"What? Are you kicking me out?" Terry shouted.
"No, I'm simply giving you the opportunity to leave on your own accord. There's no shame in departing on your own free will," Shadow stated. "You may have the thirst for information, but you lack the nerves for this class."
"I don't have to take this," Terry huffed and he too left.
"Anyone else?" Shadow asked looking around at the remaining ten students. "No? Then we'll move on..."
"Wait, I wish to leave," Susan Bones said
Shadow tilted her head and regarded Susan. After a few moments of silence she spoke, "I see, you have a very full schedule."
Susan blinked in surprise and nodded.
Alyssum gave a regal nod to Susan. "You are free to go. And good lucky with the rest of your classes."
Susan gave a soft smile and left. "Now, I understand that not all of you are friends," Alyssum continued on, looking from Harry to Ron. "That's fine. I really don't care one way or another if you all get along peachy or if you'd rather decapitate each other, but if you can't put those differences aside for this class, then leave. If you decide to stay and you cause problems I will kick you out myself and it will not be a pleasant experience."
Again silence filled the tower room as Alyssum's multicolored eyes swept the room. Her eyes landed on Ron and remained there. "You, in the corner, leave. Now," Shadow demanded.
Ron's watery-blue eyes narrowed in anger. "No," he snarled.
For the first time, since Alyssum showed herself, emotion filtered across her face. An eyebrow rose and her lips twitched into a smirk. She gracefully lifted one arm up and out in front of her with her palm up, like she was accepting a gift. Then she snapped her fingers and Ron disappeared with a whirl of smoke.
Everyone in the room gaped at the empty space where Ron had stood. Hermione was the first to recover and quickly raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss. Granger," Alyssum asked in response turning to look at Hermione.
"Two questions," Hermione stated. "Why did you kick him out and how?"
"I kicked him out because he was going to cause problems. And how, that's something you'll learn to do in this class," answered Alyssum.
"But how did you know he was going to cause trouble?" Hermione asked.
"I'm able to read people's auras, which is another thing you'll learn in this class. Anyway, his aura was tinged with hate and anger; he wasn't going to let it go, so I helped him find his way out."
"Auras?" questioned Blaise. "What is that?"
"It's the air of power around a person," Harry gave the general explanation to Blaise before turning to look at Shadow. "You said you could see his emotions, so then is seeing a person's aura a little like Empathy?" he asked.
Alyssum smiled and the room was shocked. They had thought she was beautiful before but when she smiled she was beyond stunning. "Very clever, and yes, that is one way to look at it, although you see the person's emotions instead of feeling them. But we are not going to get into that tonight," she said as she moved towards the door. "Follow me. Oh and we will not come to this classroom again."
"Why not?" asked Hermione.
"Because there is no reason to," answered Shadow, "I specifically requested a room in a tower and then told the House Elves not to clean it. This was simply a method to weed out the weak minded."
"Oh, I understand," Hermione nodded.
"Then explain it to the rest of us," Ginny demanded.
"Think about it, Gin. What is the best way to get a person to crack?" Hermione asked.
"You seclude them and put them into a place they feel uncomfortable and on edge. Take this room for instance, it's in a tower far away from everyone else in the school, it's dark, gloomy, dirty; things that make people think the worst," Harry explained. "Eventually the person would break down under the conditions. It usually wouldn't work with a group, because people tend to be more comfortable and courageous in groups, but with Professor...I mean...Alyssum giving them the opportunity to leave and making it acceptable to do so, it worked."
Hermione nodded. "The basics of interrogation," she added.
Alyssum nodded too and continued on, "After every class I will tell you where to meet for the next class. If you are friends with or if you run into anyone that has already left this class, you are not allowed under any circumstances to tell them of what goes on in this class. This rule must be followed at all times, even if you leave the class later on, this rule will still be obeyed. If anyone breaks this rule, and I will know, you will be punished accordingly and kicked out of this class. If you have already left the class, then your punishment will be more severe. Does everyone understand?" she said standing in the doorway.
At everyone's nod she continued on. "Good. Follow me." With that she turned in a flutter of black robes and swept down the stairs. Everyone quickly moved to follow. "As everyone knows, because of their schedules, this class is everyday, even Saturdays and Sundays," she said. Although her voice was soft it carried easily over the noise of the students. "I will allow you to decide when we meet on Sat. and Sun. Now, in this class you will be learning a variety of skills." She paused on the stairs and looked back at them. "You will be learning the skills of Martial Arts, Aura reading, Wandless magic, and other things that won't even be mentioned until we get to them. Oh, and the point system for the houses doesn't apply in this class."
After that she turned and continued walking down the stairs. "Are there any questions so far?" she asked.
"Why won't you mention the other things that we'll be learning?" Hermione asked.
"Why won't the points count?" Michael asked at the same time as Hermione.
"First off, this class is too important for there to be petty competition over points. And second, there's no point in telling what else you'll be learning because very few people make it that far."
"What do you mean; very few people make it that far?" questioned Blaise.
Shadow gave a one-shoulder shrug. "A lot of people drop out, some went insane, too much information I guess and a handful just never came back, I think they were eaten," she answered.
Everyone shared a look. They didn't know if they should believe her or not. Either way wasn't very comforting.
"Well, I guess you've got nothing to worry about, Harry," Hermione joked, "At least, not with the insanity issue."
The uncomfortable atmosphere vanished as Harry started laughing along with Ginny, Michael and Blaise. Luna gave a dreamy smile, Draco smirked, and Nisha just blinked not being one to show emotion around people she didn't know.
Alyssum gave a secret smile and because her back was towards the students they didn't see it. This group was proving to be interesting. There were only one student that she didn't think would last, but the others...oh the others were truly special. She was glad she took the Headmaster up on his offer, even though she couldn't tolerate the human and it was extremely risky for her to be here. "The old ways that were once thought to be lost, shall return," she hissed softly in parseltongue.
"What was that?" asked Harry.
"I said, anything else?" Shadow replied as they reached the Entrance Hall. At the negative motions of the students, she continued. "Alright then, tomorrow we will meet outside by the lake at 4:20. Oh and do not wear your school uniforms."
"Then what do you want us to wear?" this time it was Ginny that asked the question.
"Something comfortable, you're going to need it," Shadow answered. "Class dismissed."
Everyone slowly departed heading for his or her respective common rooms. Michael and Ginny walked up the stairs to the Tower talking animatedly about Fred and George's joke shop. Luna walked alone humming silently to herself down the corridor on the right. Blaise and Nisha headed towards the dungeon disusing something. With Blaise's angry shout of "That Bitch" it clearly wasn't a friendly discussion. Only Draco, Hermione and Harry stayed behind.
Alyssum raised an eyebrow. "Did you wish to ask me something?"
"I do have a question, actually," Harry said.
"Yes?"
"Well...you see...it's like...do you...Can I ask you tomorrow before class?" Harry asked in a rush. "It's just that I promised Moony...Remus...I mean Professor Lupin that I'd see him tonight and..."
Alyssum smiled and held up her hands. "Don't worry, I understand. I'll see you tomorrow before class," she said shaking her head and pulling her hood up as she walked away.
"As eloquent as always, Potter," Draco sneered angrily before sweeping down the corridor after Blaise and Nisha.
Harry blinked after the retreating blonde. What had that been all about?
"What was up with him?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he whispered. He was disappointed though. The two of them had actually been getting along. Oh sure, there was still the little jabs at each other, but the old anger and the bitter remarks were gone. Or at least they had been. After Draco's last sneering remark it seemed as though the old ways were back. Harry sighed sadly. Oh well, at least he had the chance to see what it was like to be on civilized terms with Draco, even if it was only one day. "Come on, Remus told us to see him after M.A," Harry said changing the topic and moving to the stairs.
Hermione allowed the change of topic and followed Harry. "You know, no one asked what M.A. stands for," she remarked as they walked up the stairs to the fifth floor where Remus' private rooms were. His classroom and office was on the second floor.
"I wonder what it does stand for," mused Harry. He shrugged, "Oh well, we can ask tomorrow."
Hermione nodded and the two continued the rest of the way to Remus' room in silence. Harry knocked on the door to Remus' room. There was a muffled call to 'come in' and Harry pushed the door open. He entered the room followed by Hermione who closed the door silently behind them.
The room was small and homey. It was a small sitting room with two doors that lead to the bathroom and the bedroom on the right of the room. There was a dark blue love-seat with cream pillows, three comfortable armchairs that were cream with dark blue pillows and an oak coffee table in front of a moderately sized fireplace. The fireplace was white marble with black veins, with knick-knacks and framed photos on the mantle. There were two bookshelves crammed with books on either side of the fireplace. There was also a scattering of wooden tables around the room. The stone floor was covered with dark blue rugs that had stars and silver runes on them. On the stone walls hung paintings all illustrating night scenes. There were also framed photographs of Sirius, James, Lily, and Remus himself on every available surface.
Harry moved over to one of the wooden tables laden with photographs and picked up one. In the photo James and Sirius were hanging off each other and grinning like idiots. He smiled softly at the photo.
"Evening Harry, Hermione," Remus greeted coming into the sitting area from the bedroom. "How was M.A.?" he asked curling up into one of the armchairs and gesturing for them to sit. Hermione sat down on the love-seat near Remus, but Harry stayed where he was.
"It was...different," Hermione said when Harry made no move to talk. "Our teacher is a little...odd, for lack of a better word."
"Ahhh yes, Alyssum Shadow. She did seem a little eccentric," Remus smiled gently.
"Did you go to school with her?" Hermione asked.
Moony laughed softly. "Oh no. I'm too old to have gone to school with her. She's a good ten years younger; I would have been in my last year or already graduated before she started school. Also, I don't believe she ever went to school here," he answered.
Harry replaced the photo on to the table and turned to Moony and Hermione. "I have some really important things to tell you guys and I'd appreciate it if you remained quiet until I finish," he stated calmly switching the topic.
"Harry?" both Remus and Hermione asked worriedly.
Harry simply held up a hand commanding silence. "Just hear me out."
"Okay Harry. We're listening," Remus said.
"I tried to kill myself this summer," Harry started. Moony and Hermione gasped in shocked horror, but remained silent. And Harry continued on, telling them all about the suicide attempt, the voice that saved him, Sirius still being alive, acquiring a guardian angel, Amethyst; everything. Well everything but the stuff that involved Draco. Ending with the news he had gotten earlier that day about him being a Truth Sayer.
By the time he had finished Hermione had tears streaming freely down her cheeks and was trying without much success to stop them. Remus didn't seem to be handling it any better.
"Suicide, Harry? Sirius is...alive? A Truth Sayer but...they...Suicide! Sirius...oh I need to sit down," Remus moaned.
"Ummm...Moony, you are sitting," Harry informed.
"Then I need a stiff drink," Remus muttered. He closed his eyes and took a deep shaky breath. He had almost lost Harry, the last connection he had to James and Lily and Sirius; the last Marauder. Harry, who was smart, caring, thoughtful, and innocent despite all the hate and death that surrounded his life. Harry; who he thought of as an adopted son. He had almost lost all of that without even knowing. When he opened his eyes again, they were liquid pools of gold with unshed tears. "Harry, promise me that...that if you ever get...that depressed again...or if you think about...killing your...talk to someone, okay? Just see somebody...or call...or something...don't..." he cried.
Harry quickly moved across the room and knelt in front of Remus' chair. "I promise I'll talk to someone. But I'm okay now. I swear," Harry soothed. "It's okay." He leaned forward and hugged Moony around his skinny waist. He was careful to make sure his skin didn't touch Remus'. "It's okay," Harry whispered over and over again until Remus calmed down.
Hermione moved off the love-seat and sat on the floor next to Harry. She wrapped her arms around Harry's slim waist and hugged him, soaking his robe with her tears.
It disturbed Harry to see Remus and Hermione like that. Remus was always so calm, so soothing, so unruffled and unfazed by everything. And Hermione was almost the same way, always composed and logical about things. And yet, here they were, broken and lost. And it was all because of him. He was the cause of their pain, their tears.
"Harry," Hermione whispered through her tears. She shifted a little bit away from him so that she could look at his face. "Don't try that again. You mean so much to us. Not because you're the Boy-Who-Lived but because you're Harry. Just Harry."
Harry smiled down into Hermione's honey-gold eyes. He hadn't been 'just Harry' in a long time. It felt wonderfully to be thought of that way, as just a boy named Harry. "I won't. I promise. I just...I don't know what I was thinking, but afterward it felt like it had been someone else. I know it won't happen again, I have you and Remus, and Sirius is still alive out there somewhere, and Amethyst, and Miss Angel, and...Dra...I am no longer alone," he whispered. He tugged gently on one of Hermione's curls carefully not to touch her skin.
"I love you, Harry," Hermione whispered reaching up to caress his cheek with her hand.
"Don't!" Remus shouted catching Hermione's hand before she could touch Harry. Hermione looked at Remus with wide confused eyes. "Truth Sayer," he reminded.
"What's a Truth Sayer?" she asked. Both Harry and Remus blinked at Hermione. "Oh for goodness sake," she huffed but it was a wasted effort since her eyes were red rimmed and she still had tears clinging to her lashes. "I don't know everything."
Remus gave a watery laugh and began explaining everything he knew about Truth Sayers. It was the same information that Harry knew. By the time that Remus was done explaining, Hermione's eyes were once again clouded with tears. She hugged herself to Harry again, this time being sure that she wouldn't touch his skin. She knew that Harry's only wish was to be loved. And he was, she and Remus both loved him. But that was the love of a sister, a friend, a guardian; it wasn't the love of...well a lover. He would never know that kind of love now. Never know what it was like to simply be held in the arms of someone that loved him, both as a person and physically. And Hermione cried for that loss.
Harry murmured nonsense to Hermione and rubbed her back soothingly to calm her down. After awhile Hermione's sobs died down and turned into shuddering breaths.
"It's late, so let's all of us go to bed and calm ourselves down because after all the information we heard tonight our nerves are a little frayed. We'll finish discussing this tomorrow," Remus sighed tiredly.
Harry nodded and stood up, helping Hermione to her feet. He shuffled to the door supporting Hermione all the way. Placing one hand on the doorknob he paused then turned to look at Remus, who sat curled up in an armchair like a five-year-old. "Moony?" he called.
Remus opened golden eyes and looked at Harry. "Yes?"
"I love you," Harry whispered. "Between you and Sirius, you two were the best adopted parents a kid could have."
Remus gave a sad but loving smile. "I love you too, Harry. Come see me tomorrow, okay?"
"How about we have lunch together?"
Moony nodded. "Lunch would be great."
Harry gave another smile and left the room, pulling a still weepy Hermione with him. Once outside Remus' room Harry turned to Hermione. "'Mione?"
Hermione sniffed, "Yeah?"
"I don't want to keep any secrets from you," Harry started.
"Oh god," Hermione cried sinking to sit on the stone floor, "There's more? I don't think I can handle anymore, Harry."
Harry knelt down in front of her. "It's nothing bad, Hermione. I swear. I just don't want to hide anything from you."
Hermione sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "Nothing bad?" she questioned.
He shook his head. "Nothing bad," he confirmed. "I told Remus and you everything, there's just one thing I want you to know."
"Okay."
Harry nodded. "Okay. Let's go to the kitchens, we can have some tea and I can tell you my deepest darkest secret. And I can also get my next prank on Ron set into motion."
"Next prank? What are you going to do?" she asked.
Harry gave a cheeky grin. "Oh you'll see." With that he pulled Hermione by her robes down to the kitchens.
Draco stormed down the hall away from Harry and Hermione in the direction Blaise and Nisha had taken towards the dungeons. He swept passed Blaise and Nisha snarling at Blaise's 'what's wrong' and kept walking down the hall. He arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room and hissed the password to the snake. He marched through the common room heading towards his room and he growled and snarled at anyone that even breathed in his direction. Upon entering his room the rage he had been holding back, without much success, all the way from the entrance hall broke. He picked up the closest object, which happened to be a crystal vase with glass roses in it, and with a strangled cry hurled it at the fireplace. The vase and glass roses shattered on impacted but Draco didn't notice having already turned away to pace with angry strides around the room and vent his rage on some other inanimate object.
"How dare he," Draco thought. How dare Harry stutter and get all flustered around that woman. Sure, Alyssum Shadow was beauty personified, but there was no reason for Harry to act like that around her. Harry never got that way around him. No, no, Harry always knew what to say and how to act around him, no stuttering involved or flustered actions there. In fact the only other time Draco had seen Harry act like that was during 5th year with that Cho girl.
Oh Merlin, no. No, no, no, no, he couldn't handle this. It had nearly destroyed him in 5th year watching Harry being all infatuated over the Cho girl. All the blushes, the shy glances, and incoherent sentences, no, he couldn't do it again. He couldn't stand to watch that again. He just couldn't. It would completely destroy him this time he knew it would. Having to watch Harry act all love struck and knowing that he would never be the cause of it, he would never have Harry's love. He would never have anything of Harry's; not his heart or body or soul, nothing. He would have nothing. Not even Harry's friendship. He thought that he could live with Harry's friendship only, he really did, but now he realized he couldn't. Because he couldn't stand to be near Harry and watch him love someone else. To see Harry being all smitten with someone else and pretending it didn't hurt.
Draco gave a bitter laugh as he sunk to the floor. Who was he kidding? He wasn't even Harry's friend to begin with. He was nothing to Harry, just an enemy. Gods, was he even that now? Draco closed his eyes, what did it matter. He couldn't go back to playing that role. He meant nothing to Harry. He gave a shuddering breath and curled up into a fetal position on the floor. And for the first time in years Draco Malfoy allowed himself to cry. He cried over the loss of something that he never had to begin with.
Far off he could hear a pounding at his door and Blaise's and Millicent's and even Nisha's voices calling out for him, but it didn't really register and eventually they left. He could feel Volucris nudge against his hands and hear the creature's soft whimpery growls, but he ignored that too. He laid on the floor for hours as silent sobs racked his body. He didn't want to deal with anything. He just wanted the pain and hollow feeling to go away. He wanted to be numb, willed himself to be that way. But he couldn't. The pain wouldn't go away, because he couldn't bring himself to sever the love he felt for Harry. The tears finally slowed then stopped and he gave a shuddering sigh, resigned to his fate.
His love for Harry was bittersweet, but it would last an eternity and beyond. Even when Draco himself died, his love for Harry would live on, because it was true love. Draco knew that his love was the real thing, because only true love could hurt that badly.
Knowing he would never receive Harry's love and that he would never give up his own love for Harry, and that the bittersweet feeling would never go away, he couldn't reject the opportunity to gain Harry's friendship. Having a small part of Harry was better then having nothing at all. He laughed sadly and opened his eyes. Eyes that were far more silver then they had been and were deep pools of heartache. He was setting himself up for even more pain, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be near Harry, he needed to be.
"I'm sorry to have worried you, my little winged one," Draco whispered to Volucris. The miniature dragon-like creature moved to curl up against Draco's chest and began to purr gently, offering what little comfort it could. "You should know that your owner is a fool. I have given my heart to someone that doesn't even know he owns it. And if one day he does realize that he has my heart, he wouldn't want it and he'd throw it back at my face," he said faintly. He caressed the mini dragon pensively. "Sometimes, sometimes I wish she hadn't saved me."
Slowly he stood up, his body screaming in protest for having spent so long on the floor. He limped to his bed and placed Volucris on to the only pillow left on the bed. Apparently in his rage he had thrown his pillows about. He sighed and undressed crawling beneath the covers. With a flick of his hand the few candles that were lit went out. In the darkness he whispered words he knew he would never have the chance to say. "I gave my heart to you unknowingly a long time ago, Harry James Potter. Now, I give my heart to you consciously and freely, it is yours to do with as you wish, and my deepest hope is that it brings you joy. Whether or not it does, I will never know, but regardless my heart is yours forever, always and eternity through the darkness and the light."
"I also give you my love, something else I'm sure you don't want from me. But none the less it's yours. My body also belongs to you, though this is something that you will never take, it is yours and no others. Everything that is mine to freely give is yours. And one day, one day my soul will be given to you as well, whether or not you want it. I take from you...nothing. Your heart, mind, body and soul will remain yours, forever."
Draco sighed and burrowed deeper into the bed. "Sweet dreams little Lion," he murmured into the dark. He knew he wouldn't have any dreams, at least not pleasant ones, because dreams meant that you had hope and he no longer had hope.
Blaise and Millicent sat brooding in the common room. They had been banging on Draco's door for hours, unable to get in because even with the password the room was set only to Draco's voice and Professor Snape's, and they had received no reply but the muffled sound of things shattering. They had even contemplated getting Professor Snape but they knew Draco wouldn't appreciate it and then the sound of destruction had ended. Blaise and Millicent had yelled and pleaded for Draco to let them in, to tell them what was wrong. Even Nisha had tried her hand; Draco had a soft spot for Blaise's little sister and usually did whatever she asked, as long as it was in his power and ability to do so. But not even she could get Draco to open the door. In frustration they had retreated to the common room.
Now, they sat trying to decide what to do and what had cause Draco to act that way. Blaise didn't understand; Draco had been so happy...no that wasn't the word...content? Yeah that was it, content. Draco had been so content when he had shown up to drag them to dinner and all through dinner and M.A. class he had been that way. And then...he was snapping and snarling at anyone that got near him. Blaise was so baffled. He had let Nisha pull him away after M.A. class and then Draco stormed passed them three minutes later. What the hell could have happened in a few minutes that could cause that reaction?
Blaise sighed there was only one way, besides asking Draco, to find out. "Nisha, come here."
Nisha looked up from where she sat at the piano. Anyone looking at her could tell that she was Blaise's little sister. She had the same midnight black hair that had a slight curl to it, although hers was longer falling to narrow hips. The same bright sapphire blue eyes and sharp cheekbones and golden complexion, but that was where the similarities ended. She had a smaller build and was fragile looking, her blue eyes were wider and she had a rounder face.
She stood up from the piano and moved towards Blaise and Millicent. Blaise held out his arms and Nisha crawled into his lap, like she had since the moment she could crawl. He may have been her brother but he was more of a parent to her then their real parents had ever been. She sighed and relaxed, she always felt so safe and warm in Blaise's arms.
"Nisha," Blaise started. He hated asking this of her, knew that it caused her pain, which he never wanted her to go through again. If he could do it himself he would, but he couldn't, that wasn't his gift. He wasn't a Death Walker, like Nisha was. A Death Walker was someone able to separate their spirit from their physical body and walk among the dead, and they themselves were neither dead nor alive but trapped somewhere in between.
"I know, just don't let me go," she whispered cuddling deeper into his embrace.
"I won't," Blaise promised. He looked over at Millicent and gave her a nod. Millicent stood up and looked at the handful of people still in the common room. She put a glare on to her face that could frighten Lucifer himself and snarled at everyone to get out. The ones that didn't move fast enough were 'helped'.
Blaise sighed, "Whenever you're ready, Nisha."
Nisha sighed and closed her eyes. She concentrated on separating her spirit from her body. It was a painful procedure and slow, and extremely dangerous. Her breathing became erratic and her body tensed, it stayed that way for a while until her breathing stopped and her body slumped in Blaise's arms and she laid as still as death. And for all technical purposes she was dead. She had ripped her soul from its physical shell, a dangerous process that could kill her. But once her astral form was freed, it felt so wonderful, so liberating. And that in it's self was dangerous. There was no pain in her astral form; just a blissful high, making it hard to return to her physical body. But if her spirit didn't return then eventually her physical body would die and her spirit would either slowly cease to exist or she would be stuck in between worlds. Not really dead but no longer alive. That's why she needed Blaise to hold her body; he was her anchor, her reason to return to the physical world. He was also there to protect her corporeal form from physical harm. Her body was completely tattooed with ancient runes and symbols that she used a glamour spell to hide, to protect it from spiritual harm.
She stood next to the couch looking down at Blaise and her body; she leaned over, careful not to touch her own body and brushed ghostly fingers over Blaise's cheek. He shivered and flinched at her cold touch.
"She's out," he whispered shakily. It always disturbed him to see and hold her lifeless body and knowing that she could remain that way. "Hurry up Nisha."
Nisha turned away and headed towards Draco's room. She went down the hall and up the stairs. Upon reaching the Dark Elf portrait she went straight through it and into Draco's room. She saw him asleep and floated over to him. Reaching out she placed her vaporous hand along his cheek and allowed a piece of her soul to drift into Draco's mind. Like the spirits of the dead she could enter a person's mind through their dreams.
In Draco's mind, she only looked for the scene that had happened after Blaise and she had walked away after M.A. She didn't invade any of his other memories, already feeling guilty over what she was doing. Finding the memory she was looking for, she watched and felt what Draco had felt as though it was her own memory. She watched as the rage turned into despair and the whispered words Draco had murmured into the dark. She pulled out of his mind and gazed sadly down at him. If astral forms could cry, hers would be.
Like most Slytherins, Draco didn't have a pleasant childhood or a good home life. Sure, he got everything he wanted in material goods but he lacked the emotional support. His mother was a wonderful person, or at least she used to be when Draco was still a baby. Now, she was nothing more than an empty shell just going through the motions of daily life. His father was evil, had been in the beginning and always would be. He was a hateful bastard that had sold his soul to the devil incarnate a long time ago.
Knowing what she knew about Draco's life, she wasn't surprised that he had fallen so hard for the Golden Boy of Gryffindor, the savior of the Wizarding World. After all, Harry Potter represented everything good and noble and pure and compassionate; the very things that Draco was deprived of growing- up. Harry Potter was the light in Draco's world of darkness.
As she turned away she noticed the dragon-like creature staring at her. "Protect your master while he is asleep, and we will shelter him from the pain while he is awake," she whispered to the creature, though she knew the creature could neither see nor hear her. So therefore she was pleasantly surprised when the dragon nodded to her and shifted closer to the sleeping Draco. She had always thought the mini dragon was a peculiar creature, but for it to see something that was neither alive nor dead was truly intriguing. She was going to have to pay more attention to the creature.
She left Draco's room and returned to the common room. She reached out and fell into her physical body. The pain of returning to her body was intense and she came to with a gasp and a strangled cry on her lips. She curled into a tighter ball and tried to burrow deeper into Blaise's arms. Her own pain of being reconnected to her own body mixed with the despair and sorrow of Draco's almost cut off her breathing. She felt as though she was dieing.
"Nisha?" questioned Blaise.
"We can't fix this," she moaned.
"What do you mean we can't fix it?" demanded Blaise.
"He is in love," Nisha stated.
Blaise and Millicent both nodded. "We know, he has a crush on the Golden Boy," Blaise remarked.
Nisha shook her head frantically. "No, big brother, you don't understand," she cried. "This isn't some little crush. This is beyond even the pale feelings of love that people experience. This is...the ultimate expression of love and devotion. He has given his heart, his mind, and his body to the Lion. It's only a matter of time before he gives his soul as well."
"What happens when he gives up everything?" Millicent asked worriedly.
"He's not going to die is he?" Blaise questioned softly.
Nisha shook her head. "No, he can survive without them, because they're technically not gone. They're just given over to the Lion's custody. As long as the Lion doesn't destroy them or reject the gift, then he'll live," she answered.
"Why do I have a feeling there's a 'but' in there?" Blaise muttered.
"If the feelings are never returned or the gift acknowledged then he'll die slowly."
"How slowly?" Millicent demanded.
"Years," Nisha whispered. "A piece of him will die every year until he's nothing more then an empty shell, like his mother."
"Oh Merlin, what are we going to do?" Millicent moaned.
"We're going to have to get them together," stated Blaise.
"NO!" shouted Nisha. "We can't do anything. If something were to go wrong then we'd kill Dray faster. We're just going to have to make him as happy and content as possible."
"How can you say that!" Blaise demanded. "Dray is like a brother, he's family!"
"I know! I feel that way about him too," Nisha yelled. "But you weren't there. You didn't see and feel what I did in his mind. Gods Blaise, he knows. Dray knows that he's setting himself up to a lifetime of pain if not death and he's doing nothing to stop it."
"Are you sure?" Blaise asked.
"Yes," confirmed Nisha.
"Fine," Blaise sighed closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the couch in defeat.
Millicent also sighed, overwhelmed by everything she had heard. "We can't let on that we know anything is wrong. We'll have to put our acting skills to the test, and pretend that everything's alright." The other two nodded in agreement and silence descended upon the room. But secretly in the hearts and minds of two of them, they were planning a Slytherinish scheme to get the Dragon and the Lion together.
Harry and Hermione entered the kitchen via the fruit portrait. They were instantly surrounded by hundreds of House Elves eager to please and Harry disappointed them by simply asking for a pot of tea. Harry and Hermione sat down at one of the four tables that were identical to the four house tables that sat in the Great Hall. Once seated a pot of tea and two cups were quickly placed in front of them.
As Hermione sipped her tea and calmed herself down, Harry looked around for Dobby. He spotted the House Elf rushing towards him.
"Harry Potter, sir. Come to see Dobby, Harry Potter?" the odd little house elf asked, throwing himself at Harry.
"Hey, Dobby. You are just the house elf I was looking for," greeted Harry as he smiled down at Dobby.
"Really, Harry Potter, sir?"
"Yes. I have a favor to ask, if you're willing to do it," Harry stated.
"Dobby will do anything to help, Harry Potter," Dobby chirped bouncing up and down like a little child.
Harry grinned and leaned down to whisper in Dobby's ear, careful not to touch the elf. When he finished he straightened up and waited for Dobby's answer.
The house elf grinned and clapped his hands. "Dobby can do that. When does Harry Potter want it done?"
"Can you do it tomorrow morning?"
Dobby nodded excitedly. "Dobby will do that."
"Good, here," Harry said reaching into his school bag and pulling out a small item and handing it to Dobby.
"What are you up to Harry?" Hermione asked.
"You'll find out tomorrow morning," Harry grinned.
Hermione sighed. "Okay, I think I've relaxed enough to hear whatever else you have to tell me."
"It's nothing bad Hermione."
"So you keep telling me," she muttered.
"Well...um...you see...it's..."
"Spit it out already, Harry," Hermione ordered.
Harry sighed and looked away from Hermione. He didn't think this would be so difficult. It had been much easier telling 'Mione and Moony about what had happened during the last part of the summer. And maybe it had been so easy because it had felt like it had happened to someone else. "Well...you already know about my sexual preference..."
Hermione gasped and her tea cup clattered on to the tabletop. "You have a crush on someone," she accused.
Harry blushed. "Yes," he admitted.
"Who?" She demanded. "No, no, wait, don't tell me. Let's make a deal?"
"A deal?" he questioned.
"Yeah, a deal, a bet, a little wager," Hermione grinned, "Are you catching the drift?"
Harry blinked at Hermione's excitement. "Okay. What kind of bet?"
"That I can guess who you have a crush on in one try," Hermione answered.
"Alright, you'll have a week to guess. Now, if you guess correctly what do you want?"
Hermione thought for a moment before a truly wicked smile spread across her face. She leaned across the table and whispered what she wanted.
Harry gaped at her. "You can't be serious?"
"Oh, I am. Now, what do you want if I don't guess correctly? Although the possibility of that is slim to none," she snickered.
Harry thought for a while. "I can't think of anything. Ummm...wait I got it! You'll have to go on a date with the person of my choosing."
Hermione glared. "Fine. It's a deal," she said holding out her hand.
"Deal," Harry echoed reaching out to take Hermione's hand but stopping a breath from touching it. "Umm...how about we put it in writing?" he offered.
"Good idea," she agreed withdrawing her hand. She yawned and mumbled an apology.
"Come it's late, let's go to bed."
Hermione nodded giving another yawn and muttered a 'thank you' to the house elves before exiting the kitchen. Harry called a 'goodbye' to Dobby and the rest of the house elves and also left the kitchen.
Lil' Sphinx: Hi everyone! I got this chapter out sooner then I thought I would. It's not as long as the other one, but I have to work all this week and wouldn't be able to work on it till my days off so a lot of things I wanted to put in this chapter didn't get put in. They'll show up next chapter though. Anyway, I hope everyone likes it. Tell me what you think, you know I love reviews.
Dark Illusionist- You're very welcome. I love being thought of as a goddess.
Doritos-Fan- I would have talked about Blaise's crush in this chapter, but nobody guessed who his crush was. I'm so disappointed. I mean come on people. You have a 50/50 chance.
Rae-chan! Hey girl. Sorry I never let you read my stories, but hey it's online now, so now you don't have to bug me and you can give me all the ideas you want to. Oh and Harry has more then the two piercings in his ear. He has one more actually, and I'm not tellin' where it is. Let's see how many people's minds are in the gutter. Oh and you think you know how my mind works and where I'm going with this story:evil grin: I have no doubt once so ever that you know how my mind works (as scary as my mind is) but if you really know where I'm going with this story, please inform me, because I have no freaking clue.
