Hey! Sorry for the long update, but now school is over they should be more frequent! More news at the bottome, but for now, on with the reading!
Disclaimer: oh, you know already
10My heart will break my ribs if I hold this in
I must confess
I hate myself for needing this
I love our twisted little mess
Cauterize
With one last effort, Draco reached with his power for the wand his enemy was holding and easily brought it flying towards himself. Catching it, he stood from where he was crouched and pointed it at his opponent. He was breathing heavily, it was the most strenuous obstacle course his teacher had created for him yet, and though he had finished it with talent and ease, Draco was still exhausted.
"Finish him… without the wand," a voice from the darkness growled out. Draco nodded, his eyes flashing at the challenger as he tossed the man's wand aside.
As soon as the wand was free from Draco's hand, the challenger shot forward in attack. Draco waited until the man was close enough then struck out, hitting the man in the jaw. Grabbing his arm, Draco twisted and fell to the floor, bringing the man flying over top of him and landing with a hollow crunch beside where Draco knelt. The man groaned in pain, quickly rolled to the side, stood and retreated.
"Use your power, Draco," the growling voice commanded.
Draco concentrated, and raising his hand in front of him, the man was unwillingly dragged to stand in front of Draco. He could tell the man was furious at the disrespect, but that the man was also scared. This was too easy, Draco thought, how many times had he done the exact same thing over the weeks? Bored and tired, Draco ended the fight.
"Consuncutai," Draco said, and the bright jet of light shot from his hand causing the man to go unconscious and crumple ungracefully.
"Very good, young Malfoy," another voice said from the darkness that surrounded him. Draco heard the distinct hiss and recognized it as Voldemort. His growling teacher, Gruchis, lit the room with the wave of his hand and Draco saw that his father had been watching as well. Following Gruchis, Draco immediately walked forward to kneel in front of the Dark Lord, but as he did so, he felt Voldemort pull him up.
"Do not kneel in front of me, Draco, it is not your place," Voldemort said almost pleasantly. Draco, unsure as to what that meant, bowed to the man anyways. Voldemort looked pleased, and Draco's gaze shot to his father.
Lucius was glowing with pride, and actually smiled slightly at his son. Draco's body was suffering with fatigue, but the silent praise from his father suddenly made the training worth it.
Voldemort beckoned to the bag that Lucius was holding and he brought it over to a side table to open it.
"I feel that though your training up to this point has been superb, that you are getting slightly… bored," Voldemort said, studying Draco. Draco almost flushed, but then thought of what that could mean.
"If it seems that I am bored, Master, it is only that I am ready to learn more," Draco apologized. Voldemort smiled, his face stretching unnaturally.
"It was as I thought, Draco, no need to be so diffident," Voldemort answered flippantly, "Which is why I thought you might finish this wandless garbage and start learning to use these…" He pulled a long saber from the bag Lucius had set on the table and touched it gently. "I feel that you mastered wandless talents awhile ago, and decided to set you to your next task. Gruchis will train you," Voldemort nodded at the teacher, who nodded back. "You will continue normal training sessions, but work only with the tangible weapons I allow," Voldemort sent a sideways glance at Gruchis, as if he expected the man to protest. But Gruchis remained quiet and contemplative.
Voldemort began slicing the sword through the air expertly, and Draco saw a slight joy on his face.
"This is one of my passions, Draco. Actually, it's the only one I will give any time too. It kills me to watch how the stupid Muggles used them, so you will learn the strict discipline of Wizard Sabers, and maybe one day we will spar, you and I," Voldemort's face tightened again in a smile, and Draco wondered what put him in this good mood. But, with his last instructions to Gruchis, Voldemort and Lucius Apparated from Cassiopeia, leaving the array of weaponry for practice.
Draco smiled at the saber Voldemort had pressed into his hand before he had Disapparated. Excitement flowed through him as Gruchis began his instruction.
Gruchis was not a nice man by any means, but Draco supposed that was why Voldemort had given this assignment. Gruchis was one of Voldemort's oldest followers, he joined the Death Eaters before he had graduated school, when they were still a small following, and he was now well over his fiftieth year. Gruchis experience with weaponry made him a top candidate for teaching Draco, also. Gruchis probably loved weapons more than anything, maybe even more than Voldemort.
And for the next three hours, Gruchis mercilessly beat Draco into the ground. Though the teacher never drew blood, Draco had never been as tired as when he Port-Keyed back to the castle.
Friday's were the nights of Draco's longest practices with the trainers. He usually got back around one in the morning, and he needed to be sure that predictable little Ginny wouldn't be anywhere near his arriving point when he returned to the castle. While most Prefects just wandered the halls, Ginny had a routine and stuck to it.
She walked the corridors in the quickest ways possible; she said it was common sense, Draco knew it was because she didn't like the dark. He felt slightly bad that he had to switch her to Friday night duty, but he had no other choice. The Astronomy Tower was the only place he could arrive by Port-Key, outside was too unsafe, and anywhere else was too unpredictable. Though he had the chance of running into snoggers, there were advantages of being Head Boy, so no one questioned him. And anyways, no one ever questioned why Draco was in the Astronomy Tower; it was his choice spot to bring the ladies, and most everyone kept away for fear of catching him off guard. Last time that happened, a Fourth Year nearly lost his hand to a nasty shrinking curse. That was why he needed Ginny.
She kept to her schedule and usually cleared the Astronomy Tower of students a little before he was set to arrive, thus assuring him a discrete entrance at the castle.
And when he arrived that night to an empty Tower, he smiled to himself. Ginny was unknowingly making his life a little easier, despite the fact that she still disliked him. He also smiled despite the fact he had landed on a table and crashed onto a chair before hitting the floor with a resounding thump. He groaned and rolled to lie on his back, too tired and sore to get up, and just stared at the stars that floated before his eyes. Draco decided he needed to work on his landing, as this was the umpteenth time he landed on something hard.
Lying there, he thought of Ginny. For some reason she had been on his mind all practice, and Gruchis must have noticed his lack of concentration. Draco had gotten completely beaten today because of it, not just because they had started weapons. His whole body ached with new bruises, and old ones that had not healed yet. Draco sighed, mentally trying to will his pain into the floor so that he might manage to stand up and get back to his room. He had nearly succeeded, when he heard footsteps outside the tower. His body tensed, and he lay still hoping whoever it was would pass by without looking in.
"Hello?" he heard someone call out, and then smiled as he recognized the voice.
"This is a Prefect, and you aren't supposed to be up here!" she called, creaking the door open. Draco didn't answer. Ginny flicked on the lights, and looked around the room. Draco watched as her gaze rested on him, her eyebrow rising regally.
"Malfoy…" she began, smirking at his prone form.
"Help me up, will you?" Draco said, reaching his hand toward her. Ginny gave him a disdainful look and didn't move. Draco sighed, and hoisted himself up using the table next to him for support.
"I suppose I should ask what you are doing up here, but if it's what I think, I might get sick," Ginny said, almost laughing as she watching him right a fallen chair and replace some books.
"Not that it is any of your business, but I got word a student was out of bed and was ordered to go for a look," Draco lied quickly. He wasn't really concerned that she would question him; he already knew what she was thinking and smirked at her.
"Was the student Ernie Macmillan's little sister? I heard she was your new flavor," Ginny smirked, turning to walk out of the Tower, flicking the lights off as she went. She heard Draco trip down the stairs, and smiled when she heard him swear loudly.
"Weasley! Do you have to make my life so much harder?" Draco scowled at her, rubbing his elbow as he fell into step beside her.
"Yes, Ferret, it gives me great pleasure," Ginny retorted, smiling sweetly at him.
"A greater pleasure than Potter gives you?" Draco asked viciously, a quick flair of jealously rising, then just as quickly diminishing when he realized he had said those words out loud.
Ginny shot him a questioning look, then laughed. Draco could tell she was trying to dismiss the comment, but the red blossoming on her cheeks told the truth.
"Isn't the little Macmillan only a Second Year? Honestly, Weasel, give me a little more credit," Draco said, attempting to change the subject.
"Let's give credit when it's due, Malfoy. Wasn't it only last year that you and Amerie Dennison were up here?" Ginny gestured to the Astronomy Tower they were heading away from. Malfoy smirked at her, confirming her accusation. "And since it was last year, she would have been a First Year. So don't go erecting a halo for yourself."
Malfoy laughed, "I didn't think you were that interested in my dating life," he cocked an eyebrow at her.
"No, I just have a good memory. Obviously you don't, or you would have remembered that I was the one who caught you two up here," she smirked at him, and was surprised to see his jaw harden. They had started down the steps, and she noticed he was limping, but he looked as though he was trying to hide it, so she ignored it.
"Creevey looked like he was going to wet his knickers" Draco tried to laugh, but his ribs felt like they were collapsing in on his chest, so it came out as more of a wheeze.
"Well, threatening his nads didn't help. You know he is scared of you, as is most of the school," she shot him a sideways glance, and noticed he was limping again.
"Except for you, right? You aren't scared of anything," he smirked.
"No, I'm scared of a lot of things, but I'm probably the only one who knows you just talk a lot of shit," she teased.
"It's a talent," he wheezed. She glanced at him again. They had just turned the corner towards the dungeons, and had stopped.
"Are you alright?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"I'm fine," he didn't elaborate, but made an effort to even out his breathing.
"My brother didn't hurt you too bad in that fight yesterday?" Ginny said, trying to sound cocky.
"I may have been the one bleeding, but your idiot brother shouldn't be able to inhale for at least a week," Draco sneered.
"Right," she said slowly, trying not to laugh. But she thought of his face when he saw Emlyn disappear in the shimmering bubble, and her mood changed. "How is Riley?"
"Perfect," he answered. His choice of words made Ginny want to gag.
"She is certainly talented at cursing, is that what you Slytherins do all day?" She was kidding, but Draco gave her an irate look.
"All Slytherins are talented, Weasel," he said seriously.
"Talented at what: Starting fights, or losing them?" she retorted, glaring up at him.
"Potter lost a lot more blood than Emlyn did, I think that counts as a Slytherin victory," Draco stated, his anger rising.
"You would count a Slytherin victory if Harry accidentally fell down stairs," Ginny said, annoyed that Draco referred Emlyn with her first name.
"Then I guess there will have to be a rematch," Draco sneered, "How about… you and Pansy?" he suggested.
"Excellent, I've always wanted to rip out her hair," Ginny said seriously, but to her surprise, Draco laughed.
"Then what are you waiting for?" he asked, wheezing again and grabbing his chest.
"The right chance," she shrugged.
"She gave you one when she threw that plate at your head," Draco said. Ginny smiled at him
"Thanks for doing that," she said quietly remembering how he exploded the plate before it could hit her. Then what he had said about her bum zoomed into her thoughts. She tried not to blush, but had the feeling Draco was thinking about the same comment.
"Well, I promise I'll give you better reason to fight her. I would pay a good amount of Galleons to see Pansy patchy," Draco smirked at her. Ginny tried not to laugh at the image.
Draco watched her quiet smile, and wondered how they could go from furious fighting to laughing together within moments.
"Anyways, I'm off this way," she gestured towards the dungeons, interrupting his thoughts. "See you around," Ginny smiled and turned down the darkened tunnel. To her surprised Draco followed her.
"What are you doing? You're room is back that way," Ginny pointed the direction for him.
"I'm well aware of where my room is, Weasel. You seem to be missing a Rounds Partner, so being Head Boy, I will accompany you," he said simply, hoping his reason would sound convincing.
"How gallant," Ginny said dryly, smiling coyly up at him. They were now sauntering silently down into the darkened dungeons, and Draco felt Ginny ease herself closer to him and quickly speed up her pace.
Draco leaned down to whispered near her ear. "And because I know you are afraid of the dark." Ginny jumped.
"I'm not afraid," she protested. "I'm just…wary. What makes you think that anyway?" she asked quickly.
Draco smiled to himself, though Ginny couldn't see because of the darkness that descended on them. He knew because whenever Snape shut the drapes for a lesson on the projector, Ginny subconsciously moved closer to him. He knew because she wouldn't stay after hours in the library unless someone was with her. He knew that right now she wanted to light her wand more than anything, but wouldn't do it because it would give Draco the satisfaction of being right.
Draco did it for her.
"Lumos," he said quietly, and his wand light spread across the cold walls. He hadn't noticed how close she had gotten to him until she moved quickly away. "Just a guess," he answered, and they continued their patrol.
"So what makes you so 'wary' of the dark, Weasel?" Draco asked. Ginny was silent.
She thought of the Chamber of Secrets, and the dark hours she had spent down there with Voldemort. It was after that horrible experience that she gained her aversion to dark places. But she obviously could not tell Draco that.
"I didn't hear you," Draco said, leaning down towards her. Ginny laughed.
"I didn't say anything," she informed him.
"Were you planning on answering me, then? Or should I ask an easier question?" Draco teased her.
"An easier question, please," Ginny answered.
"I still want an answer!" he scoffed.
"Well, you aren't going to get one. Besides, you gave me the choice," she laughed.
"Fine," Draco surrendered, though he still wondered what made her so timid of the dark. "Where is Creevey tonight?"
"He said he had studying to do," Ginny shrugged.
"Studying on a Friday? Curious," he said, "If it were me, I wouldn't turn down spending a few hours alone with a beautiful girl," Draco drawled. Ginny again tried not to blush.
"Actually, I think that's what he's 'studying,'" she laughed. "But I'm not the beautiful girl."
"Aren't you?" Draco asked, looking down meaningfully at her. Ginny decided to study her wand, this time blushing furiously. Silently, they continued on the rounds, each smiling secretly to themselves.
Practice with Professor Morticai was like nothing Harry could have imagined. First off, he expected to see Emlyn. Well, in honesty, he hoped to see her. But neither she nor Lukas was present when he arrived in the restricted Hogwarts Dueling Arena the next night.
Morticai immediately put him to work testing his endurance, his wandless powers, and his overall magical ability. Even with his daily exercise of running, Harry was still winded. But nothing could have prepared him for the exhaustion he was up against next.
"Before we start the next practice maneuver, I suspect you have some questions?" the Professor asked him, offering him a glass of water from the pitcher she conjured. Harry gratefully took it and nodded while gulping down the liquid.
"I thought I was supposed to practice with Riley and Brandon tonight?" he asked, after returning the glass. "Er, I suppose I should say…" Harry thought, but could not remember ever hearing their last name.
"Bryce," her eyes twinkled, "Emlyn, Lukas and … Emlyn and Lukas Bryce," she quickly corrected, the twinkle fading, but she continued on. "You are not going to practice with Emlyn or Lukas for awhile, they are very advanced, and you need to learn some basics before you can take hold with those two."
"What basics? Can we do that now?" Harry asked quickly. The eagerness he hoped to hide came out through his voice and Damaris laughed.
"They are up next, but you won't be in such a hurry when you learn what they are. You have no more questions?"
"Well, I guess I've been wondering this for awhile now, but what am I?" Harry asked her, averting his eyes. It seemed an awkward question when he said it aloud, but it had plagued him since he had learned wandless magic the year before.
"I can't answer that question fully, but I can tell you what your powers are. You have a combination of all three Aspects. And not just a little bit of all three, but all three Powers at their full potential combined into one. You were born with the tendency towards the Power, which was why you developed wandless magic skills by yourself. However, unlike Emlyn and Lukas, if you had never met me, you would not have been able to feel the Power and develop this talent you hold."
"And how can you teach me this?"
"I am the Aspect Teacher; I can give you the suggestion towards the Power. If it were possible, I could teach every wizard and witch in the world to feel the Power, the difference is that there are those who are capable of handling it, like you. To a wizard not like yourself, it would just be a feeling, nothing special or worth having.
"And to answer your question, I can teach you this because I was taught it myself," she began to move towards the middle of the Arena again, and Harry guessed that the time to talk was over. But one last question burned in his mind.
"Professor, why does Emlyn hate me?"
Professor Morticai turned and contemplated him for a moment before answering, "I can't answer that question either, only she can. But, I can tell you it's because she does not understand who you are, but knows you completely at the same time." She turned back around and continued to the middle of the floor, "Time to begin, Potter. Let's see what you're made of."Alright so, what did you think? It was fun to write, so I hope you all liked it! Next chapter: the plot thickens for a few characters
Also: I put up a new summary, do you like it? (A little help, Old: "7th year: Harry falls in love with the only girl who will hate him forever. Draco fights to overcome his only weakness and she doesnt make it easy. Revenge, anger, sex, death, love. Be prepared for the end." New: "Hate vs Lust. The only thing Harry can do is keep himself in the game, a whole new danger he's willing to be in. d/g push each other to their limits. A little competition and Ron finally makes a move on Hermione. 7th year.") I got bored with the old one, but if you guys like it, I'll put it back up!
And, I have finally accepted that this should not be in the H/G category, and you can find it now in it's new home D/G. good thinking? or no?
Last, but not least, thank you to my reviewers: neveralone89 (I'm afraid you caught me and my bad editing skills! You're right, at that point Harry knew about Emlyn and Lukas being siblings, and it was a total mistake on my part! Thanks for catching it:) ) Anony (sorry for the wait! I hope you're not disappointed!) Nestor88g (thank you so much for the glowing compliment! I hope you stick with me through my updates!) intricate simplicity (You've got the idea! ;) I hope this chapter helped to answer some of your questions!) Jaislin Snape (I loved all of your ideas! especially about the ending battle scene, very creative! The way this ends is... well, you're just going to have to wait and read I guess! The other thing I wanted to comment on was you're suggestion that Harry ask for death. I just didnt see Harry wanting to give up that easily, I think hes a fighter. But you're suggestion would have been very dramatic! Keep up the reviews, I love your ideas!)
And thank you to everyone who reads!
Oy! you! The Review Button is itchy, scratch it... -xxx