Joe Jack - ^^ Yeah, I know, huh? I'm not a very good verbal storyteller. And sankyu!
cassie - Yeah, he doesn't, doesn't he? ^^;;
silver_elven_fox - Much thanks!
kyotyred - Glad you're enjoying it. ^^;; I just love vampires…
wintermoon - Uhm.. better late than never, ne? Eheh…
PeachDancer82 - *Giggles* Iunno, you'll just hafta wait an' see.
Onyx - Dun dun dun! All will be revealed! ^^;; And thanks so much! It's surprising how easy it is to work with someone else's creations. Then you get'a skip all the character development and dive right into plotness.
TexasFox - … Yeah. Real scared there, Ging. *Cough, cough*
She-Who-Is-Not-To-Be-Psyc - Though I love Masquerade dearly, I didn't base this off of their system because I don't really like it for this type of setting. As to the mind reading thing, once again, I'm going with Ricean principles, and if you will recall, fledglings can hear the thoughts of others quite clearly. Well, except for Louis. . But we won't talk about him. As for having one of the established characters be Draco's sire, well, none of them are vampires, are they? And I really didn't feel like doing that. Meh. To your last question… what? What are you talking about? o.O
Phoenix Tears - Well, Draco tries.. uhm… something. ^^;;
Mak - ^^;; Thanks, but I kinda bombed on this chapter, huh? Took me freaking forever…
Lunadeath - Sorry, but it's shorter, actually. ^^;; I think my muse died there for a little while…
pixie-chan - Thanks! And I will tell all! … Eventually. Sorry it didn't come very soon.
paws10081 - Here ya go.
proutjj - Continuing!
Air dragon - ^^ Me too.
Malfoy Snogger - Maaaaaybe, maaaaaybe not.
Teibairn - Sorry!!! ;_;
Joe-Jack - Y'don't say? ^^;; And.. well… I did. So here.
cherish chang - ^^ Thanks!
Blue Rosed Dragon - Here's.. uhm… part of it. Hope you're not too dead from the suspense to read it. .
S. Wing - Isn't he!?
Joe-Jack - Okay, okay, lemme alone, I did it!
OKAY, PEOPLE! I know I took freaking forever, an' I'm reeeeally sorry. Really. I am. I'm also sorry that this chapter is waaaay short, but I'm working on the next one already. I would've just put the two together as one chapter, but I figure, this way, you all know I'm still alive and haven't stopped writing, eh? ^^;; Anyhoo, sorry if I missed anyone on the reviews. Instead of doing it the complicated way I normally do it, I just did everyone who reviewed chapter four. . Thanks to anyone I missed! And much, much thanks to The Observer for pressing me to get this done and helping me along the way! I LOVE YOOOU!
Chapter V: Break Me, Shake Me (pt. 1)
So you're the kind that deals with the games in the mind
Well, you confuse me in a way that I've never known
You confuse me in a way that I've never known
- Savage Garden, "Break Me, Shake Me"
It was probably a little dangerous for him to be roaming the halls at night now, but he really didn't care. He needed some privacy and quiet, and neither the common room nor the dorms provided anything but noise or constant company.
He hadn't been paying the best attention to where he was heading, so he wasn't entirely sure now where he was. He had climbed several flights of stairs, taken various turns, gone down corridors both familiar and alien. Yet, for some reason, he really wasn't worried about finding his way back.
This hallway seemed extremely empty, and not just of people. The other halls of the castle were filled with statues and paintings and other odds and ends, but the walls here were next to bare. With a sigh, Harry leaned back against one and slumped down to the floor, closing his eyes.
A good night's sleep was getting harder to come by; he just had too much on his mind. He kept thinking about what Draco had said.
"I see the way you look at me sometimes, with more than just fear or annoyance or rivalry. Granger's noticed it too, and even that dolt Weasley knows something's up. But you're still oblivious."
Was that true? Surely not. If he liked Malfoy, he'd know it, right? Right?
He jumped slightly as a soft sound, like a footstep, came from the end of the hall, but as the echo faded, he began to wonder if he'd really even heard it at all. That notion was dismissed as the same noise sounded at the other end of the hallway.
Okay, I think it's time to head back… he told himself silently, getting to his feet and straightening his robes.
He started towards the nearest flight of stairs but whirled around as he felt a cool breeze across the back of his neck.
Nothing there. Perhaps it was just one of the ghosts or Peeves playing tricks? He shook his head.
C'mon, Harry, pull yourself together.
He began his descent, but a much louder set of footfalls somewhere near the bottom of the stairs, where he couldn't see, made him back up to the top once more. Someone else was here, toying with him.
His hand went to his wand as he turned around and started down the left path of the hallway, disregarding the stairs for now. Surely there was another way back to the common room.
He didn't get far, however, before his foot came in contact with something hard and he found himself sprawled out on the floor, wand jarred from his hand and sliding several feet on the smooth stone.
He cursed as he pushed himself up on his elbows, nudging his glasses up on his nose, and was met with the image of a shadowed figure towering over him, light hair seeming to glow in the pale moonlight that filtered in through the windows.
Malfoy?
But the figure was gone.
Harry sat up slowly, sparing a cautious glance around. Okay, it was evident now. Malfoy was fucking with him.
He clenched his fists angrily. Wasn't it enough that he practically had Harry in the palm of his hand already?
No, he's got to go around trying to freak me out in the middle of the night.
He reached out for his wand but froze as he felt a pair of strong arms encircle his waist from behind.
"Well well well, what are you doing out and about so late at night, Potter? It's not safe."
Harry would recognize that sarcastic drawl anywhere.
"The only reason being that you're here, Malfoy," he shot back, trying to pull away, but, as he suspected, the vampire held strong.
"That really stings, you know. That you would think I was… dangerous." Draco smirked.
"Well you bloody are! Now let go of me so I can get back to the dorms."
"How many times is it now that I've had you in my grasp like this, Potter? Once, twice, three times? One would think you'd learn by now that I'm not going to let go until I'm damn well ready to."
Harry sighed. He knew that was the case, of course. "… Well, what do you want?"
"I want to help you," Draco said simply into his ear.
"Help me? What are you talking about?"
Harry tensed as Draco moved his lips to the side of the Gryffindor's neck, fearing the worst. Maybe "help" was just his way of saying "kill."
"You'll see," the blonde whispered darkly against his neck, and Harry was suddenly aware of a hand snaking up under his robes to hover near the waist of his pants.
Harry pursed his lips and grabbed Draco's hand through the thin black material. "What are you playing at, Malfoy?"
The hand pulled away and began undoing Harry's belt easily, and Draco answered casually, "Absolutely nothing."
Harry's green eyes widened as the hand moved into his pants, and he jerked sharply in protest, elbowing his captor in the ribs.
"Now now, Potter," Draco cooed sweetly, bringing his free arm around to pin Harry's to his sides, "is that any way to treat someone who's trying to help you?"
"How the hell are you helping me!?"
"You can't even recognize your own desires. It's obvious you need a little incentive."
"I think I can recognize them just fine, thank y—" Harry's retort was cut short as he felt five cool fingers wrap around the most private part of him, caressing him into hardness, and he squirmed against Draco as his cheeks flushed pink, both from embarrassment and something he wasn't ready to accept yet.
"See, now this isn't so bad, is it?" Draco inquired as he pressed a firm kiss to the fading bite marks on Harry's neck, causing the dark haired boy to moan helplessly.
This just wasn't fair. He was completely powerless and he hated it. Oh, but it felt so good…
Harry leaned back against the blonde involuntarily, the heat and pressure between his legs becoming near-unbearable with Draco's skillful ministrations.
"Malfoy…" he managed unsteadily, "Oh God… Malfoy, stop…"
But Draco showed no signs of doing any such thing. He merely increased the speed of his hand and nipped at the sensitive flesh of Harry's neck, and Harry knew he wouldn't last much longer.
Everything was just too much, and with a stifled cry as his muscles tightened, he reached his peak and was pushed over the edge into release.
Draco freed him slowly, withdrawing his hand, and got to his feet, but Harry couldn't find it in himself to turn and face him.
"Perhaps you'll sleep better now, hm, Potter?"
Harry clenched his jaw to keep himself from saying anything that might get him in deeper, and was quite surprised to find the vampire right in front of him when he looked up.
He was even more surprised, however, when said vampire leant down and kissed his lips a little less than gently.
Draco pulled away with a smirk. "Goodnight, Potter."
And Harry was alone again, even more confused than before as he tried to catch his breath.