Disclaimer: do not now or will not ever in the future, own the characters,

places and other copyrightable stuff written by Ms.Rowling (theyre

just…borrowed …for this fic), the rest is all mine, mine I tell you….(cackling

laugh). On to the fic.

DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM EXCIEOCITUM

It Begins

His eyes were closed as an icy gust of wind brushed his face. It swept through

his hair, cold fingers entangling themselves in the fine silken strands, then

gliding over his cheeks,lightly and into his lungs. He took great gasping

breaths of the air, it felt like he hadn't breathed for days, as if he had never

really breathed at all.

It was cold, it was always cold these days it seemed, even when they were

sitting in front of the fireplace. Not that he minded, to him the cold was

associated with clear thinking, sharp senses, like the razor edges of a

velluvian crystal.

Did the others feel the cold like he did? Did it penetrate into each and every

sinew, each nerve, making their very blood shine like silver? Did it give them a

sense of being born again, of renewed strength and energy, burning white like

the hottest flame?

The sky glittered with the light of a million stars, all distant, moving in

tandem, living proof of the most ancient magic. That's why he was here, a voice

said, and it was a moment before he realized he had spoken aloud.

He tried to bring up the old arguments again, his background, his parents, his

destiny, his bloodline…but it was still as right as it ever had been, the

feeling of certainty – solid and real like the sword that was clutched tightly

in his hand.

The same cold fingers rustled the dry leaves and a few fluttered to the ground.

Reds and browns, yellows and gold, like the remnants of a great festival. Soon

it would be winter and the earthen colours would sleep under the snow waiting to

awaken to the call of spring.

"When will you awaken Drago?" an ancient old crone had asked him once, but it

was his father who had answered, " He will, when the call comes. The lord will

not be denied."

'Now he would decide', he thought, although that was not entirely true, 'now was

the time to awaken' he amended, the decision had been made long ago.

The surface of the lake was already frozen, a testament to the weather that had

been since the rising had begun. Only if you looked really hard and really deep,

could you see the faint shadows that moved, silent, under the surface to show

that life existed in the depths. Otherwise it just gleamed, that surface, a

colour that was difficult to define since it did not appear to be constant.

Shades of grey tinged with myriad blues, shining silvers, even dull white at

times.

An undisturbed span of ice, that was smooth and unbroken until the

occasional skater scratched the surface, or someone particularly pigheaded was

foolish enough to try and fish, and take the risk of cutting through the ice and

making himself known to the creatures that lived within.

Feet were moving toward him, he could hear the footfalls, light…firm. They

stopped, and he waited. Then a voice that matched the footsteps perfectly.

"Draco", he opened his eyes.