OMG PEEPS! I've officially reached over 170 reviews! Wow! Keep it up!

Sorry about the lateness, I haven't been able to find the right music to get in the feel for it, but I hope it's alright…

Talley Ho!

chapter 10 – the dark mark

Darkness, reaching everywhere as far as the eye could see, spread over the surroundings like a blank canvas or a starless night. Draco's grey eyes glanced over everything as he tried to make out any shapes at all, trying to tell if there was even anything there to see. It seemed so dark that it was almost as though it was swallowing up all of the light to drain it of anything- yet it was light enough to see. Draco raised his eyebrow at the expanse of black and buried his hands in his pockets as he felt a shiver run down his spine, before he continued to walk again.

Harry's green eyes were once more shadowed; he knew he was invisible against the endless darkness yet he didn't know how he knew at all. Honestly though, in that moment he couldn't care less, for there was one person walking silently in the darkness that was drawing all of his attention.

Draco.

He was clothed in black, a long black cape that billowed in some unseen wind along with rather out of place dress robes that reached above his knee and black trousers. He was almost merging into the darkness, and Harry didn't want to ruin the moment, the beautiful image, by basking everything in green. He didn't need to though, for in the endless black his face shone out like the sun, his golden hair glistened in unseen light, and his creamy skin lit up everything it touched. He wanted to be the one to touch it, to caress it and feel the same wave of pleasure as he had the last time- when he'd got so close. Silently he stalked closer, merging completely.

The darkness wasn't his soft, safe darkness and neither was it the harsh darkness he saw out of his window. It was different, he didn't hate it and he didn't love it, but he most certainly didn't trust it either. There was something there that he couldn't see, even with his keen sight, and while it wasn't threatening he didn't like the shudder that crept up his spine with it. He continued to walk through the shadows, painfully aware that he was standing out like a beacon, oh well, he thought, it was only a dream- a drug induced dream at that too.

"Helloooooo?" he called out into the shadows, taking full advantage of the fact no one was there to see him completely let down his guard. He spun on his heel as he walked and took a few paces backward before turning back around again once he saw nothing. Well, what an interesting dream, he mused bitterly as he took another glance at the darkness above him and the darkness below.

But it suddenly became a lot more interesting. He felt the shadows slowly and softly wrap their way around his waist, one branch wrapping around his hips and the other coming up to his chest, resting on his right side beneath his collar bone. He tensed up and shuddered, but for some reason didn't feel any need to force whatever it was off, he could almost admit that he was enjoying it. His stomach fluttered again, and he felt a small ball rise in his throat, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt warm breath near his jugular.

"Hi," the darkness whispered back, the voice deep and husky as he felt himself pulled against a warm body. He shuddered again and his stomach did another flip, most of his blood now running in a particular direction that he didn't want to wake up with, and he swallowed hard as he forced down all of the lust that was bubbling in his gut.

"Stalk me in my dreams now, too?" he inquired mockingly, never letting his self-assured stance fail to show the urges that were plaguing him. His heart was beating like a steam engine in his chest- and he felt pretty sure that the hand that was now gently running its fingers along his torso was feeling it too. He shuddered again, and cursed himself.

"I don't see you complaining," The voice returned with a soft chuckle that made him want to sigh, and Draco held back a small whine as the skin on his neck tingled beneath a tantalising kiss that hardly touched him, yet touched everything at once. His eyes fluttered shut as another followed it and the hands around him drew him as close as he would go, scarcely a single part of his body free of the warmth of the other.

"I may if you don't show yourself," he replied after a few moments, and inwardly cursed as the lips parted from his neck until he felt the other's face hover inches from his skin in thought, his warm breath still tickling his neck. The hands on his chest and hip stopped moving and Draco stopped breathing for a few moments in the fear that they would leave all together.

Harry stopped what he was doing and parted slightly, letting his head hover over the creamy skin that was taunting him so. Should he really show himself, give away the one dream he'd loved in years? Well, maybe that was it- maybe it was just a dream. But, he couldn't help but wonder if it was more than just a dream, if it was received on both ends. Draco seemed so real here, more real than even the visions he had received only last year, and he couldn't bear the thought of it ending. But- Draco was smart enough to have realised who it was by his voice, by those shudders he'd seen him have, Draco was one of the smartest people he knew.

"You drive a hard bargain," he replied after a while in his sudden husky, lust filled voice, and closed his eyes as he once more felt the feel of an egg being cracked on his head as he moved his lips down once more, daring himself to steal one more.

…

Harry felt something thump him on the head and he sat up straight in his chair, blinking dozily, before bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his skull. "Ouch," he murmured, but swallowed hard and felt his stomach flip as his eyes flowed upwards to see his Transfiguration professor towering over him with a less than amused expression on her face.

…

Draco opened his eyes and squinted in the late afternoon sunlight as it streamed through his curtains and onto the pillow beside his face. He dozily looked around himself to see the wall of white curtains, the sound of emptiness and the chirp of birds out of his window, and felt his stomach drop. Great- it'd been a dream. He sighed and rolled onto his side, curling inside of the thin white sheets that wound around him and tangled in his legs, and he wondered just how much he'd moved while he was unconscious. But-

He arched a shaped eyebrow as he stared off focus at the curtains surrounding his bed, his heart suddenly beating a little faster and his breaths becoming short. It had been a dream- yes; he had dreamt it, that wasn't a problem. The problem was that the potion he had taken was specifically called 'dreamless sleep' and if his head of house was anything to go by, it would have been brewed correctly, therefore sending him into an unconscious state where his mind was completely at rest, and he didn't dream a thing. But he had.

And what a dream it'd been too. But, what could it mean? How could he have thought it up himself when he wasn't able, when he was knocked out completely, unable to muster the strength to even think under the affects of the potion? He frowned in thought, and felt his head beginning to hurt. It just wasn't possible; there was just no way that it could have happened. Draco took a deep breath and shook his head against the pillow, it hurt to think. But as he moved he felt his thick, greasy hair rub against the cotton, suddenly he became very aware of the sticky feeling he felt beneath his sheets, the dirty feel of skin on skin.

For the first time in Draco Malfoy's life, he was definitely unclean, and definitely in need of a shower. He grimaced as he untangled himself from the bedclothes, finding his school shirt ruffled and un-tucked, his tie hanging over his shoulder and his trousers sticking to him uncomfortably. He hated this feeling, the feel of having filth covering your skin, feeling the grease as you ran a hand through your hair, feeling the sticking of your clothes to your thighs as you swing your legs over the bed. It was repulsive, absolutely vile, and he felt his stomach churn as he gagged and grabbed the small pile of clean clothes that had been placed on the end of his bed, not caring what they were or who brought them, and padded quickly over to the small bathroom before anyone saw.

He felt like he was peeling an orange, the clothes clinging onto him with every last ounce of their dirty strength as he ripped them off himself, forever fighting with the urge not to throw up in disgust. Eight days- eight days sitting sweating in front of a fire, how the hell could he not have noticed before? Draco tugged forcefully at his tie as he tried to tear it from his neck; it felt like a noose, like he was lining up to have the death sentence, a smelly and vile creature with no more life to live. Finally he got it off, and gagged as he held back the vomit creeping up his throat before forcing it down and taking a few deep breaths, his own mind making his mild smell seem disgustingly potent.

The buttons on his shirt clung in the holes as though their lives depended on it, and as he fumbled at it forever aware of the hot steam hitting the side of his face from the warm, clean and inviting shower beside him he just wanted to throw himself in there clothed. He had never felt so vile before, he felt putrid, no better than a mangy dog. He let out a strangled cry as he reached the last button that refused to come undone, and ripped forcefully at either side of his shirt until the button popped off and rolled along the bathroom tiles.

He nearly leapt into the shower. Instead he jumped and knocked his shoulder against the wall in his desperate attempt to clean himself and winced, grumbling low in his throat as the steaming hot water ran down his eyelids, burning his stormy eyes beneath them. But the water, the water felt so clean, so pure. He sighed and let the burning liquid run down his torso, and he felt his heartbeat slow down as his shoulders un-knotted and he slumped against the wall in pleasure.

But as he let his hands rub over his skin, as he smelt the sweet perfumed scents of the shower potions he lathered into great masses of bubbly foam, his mind began to clear once more. He frowned and let the water drop off his eyelashes and creased his forehead in thought, absently running soapy circles on his chest. He had known the voice in his dream, and even though he had barely ever held a full conversation with the person in question, he seemed closer to him than anyone he had ever met before. It felt like there was a piece of him inside, a piece of his essence in his heart and mind that made him continuously aware, made him never forget.

And although the deep, silky, husky voice had been plagued with the lust and want as the person in question had shown before, he could instantly tell. It was like a certain scent, a certain taste that you can instantly name without question, and the taste he'd been given only made him want more. Harry Potter, the man with emerald eyes as deep as a thousand seas, the man whose breath still tingled his neck. Draco ran his fingers absently over his jugular as he recalled the strange shadowy arms that belonged to the Veela whose powers seemed infinite, and shuddered.

But one question still remained- how did he dream about him when he was physically unable? He frowned and wiped his face, feeling the suds running down his forehead and dripping off the end of his nose, the air so steamy it was becoming harder to breathe. Well Harry had already shown at least one new gift, the strange ability to merge into the darkness and sneak upon Draco when he least expected it- and there was the slightly troubling issue of the fact that Harry somehow managed to get him to the Hospital Wing and still look as right as rain after a beating hours earlier. But there were other possibilities with that- maybe it had been something to do with that strange room, maybe it'd provided some potions, or maybe he was healed before Draco woke. But this dream- this fantasy that was technically impossible, could it really have something to do with Potter?

Draco sighed into the spray and felt the water run into his mouth, and suddenly had a strange fantasy of his lips being put to much better use upon the thin, powerful lips of the Veela that had been pursuing him for weeks. Draco opened his eyes suddenly upon the throbbing of his blood suddenly changing direction, and quickly turned the shower on cold to cool himself down before his thoughts got out of hand.

It took him three shampoos, two conditionings and five vigorous all over body washes until he felt satisfied, the disgusting feeling of his skin being covered in grime banished to leave himself squeaky and tinged pink from the hot water. He sighed in content and slid out of the shower, his muscles feeling like jelly and his mind now lost from the troubling subjects that had plagued it before, feeling as light as a feather and completely refreshed. His body wasn't weak, the potions they had given him regenerating his body and building up his muscles, and his face was no longer gaunt- now almost as it was before.

He wrapped the small towel provided around his waist and bent down to inspect the clothes he'd been given, but as he picked them up he found his gaze drawn to the small note that fluttered to the floor. He raised his eyebrow and put his clothes on the small linen basket that he needed to put his school uniform in, and grabbed the towel firmly as he bent down and picked it up. It was very small, folded over once and it looked hurriedly ripped from a larger piece of parchment. In fact- it was his parchment. Draco absently sat down on the damp floor tiles and carefully unfolded it, before reading the hurried black scrawl upon it.

Draco,

Nice clothes- shame you're not here to try them on for me.

H

He felt his eyebrow quirk further and forced down the small wry smile that was tugging at the edge of his lip and threatening to undo the scowl he was trying to summon. He knew that he should feel outraged that Harry had been through his clothes in the first place, and even more so to his stupid cocky smart-arse comment, but he just couldn't. In fact, judging on the flutter in his chest and the flip of his stomach, one could even go as far as to say it was… charming. He grimaced and looked down at the note again, how in the name of Merlin was this smarmy bit of ripped parchment charming? But the effect on him, the way his heart beat faster at the compliment, and the thought of Harry actually wanting to see him model his clothes, made him insanely happy. He cleared his throat and tried to act as though he hadn't just thought that, but nonetheless folded the parchment and put it into the pocket of the clean trousers he was soon to put on. Well- it was about time someone noticed his expensive wardrobe, he thought to himself as he pulled on his boxers.

Oh crap… he looked down to see his silver Saturn underwear as he pulled them on; he hadn't meant his clothes in general- he'd meant. Oh Merlin… Draco put his head in his hands and groaned; he knew that it couldn't have just been the clothes he'd been talking about.

"Stupid Veela," he muttered as he pulled his black trousers over the top and did up the flies, safely tucking his underwear away and pushing back the strange thoughts that were plaguing his mind and making his stomach flutter. He reached out and pulled out the maroon shirt he hadn't worn in years, trust a bloody Gryffindor to choose red, he thought, and hurriedly did the buttons up before heaving himself up off the floor. His face was flushed in mild embarrassment as he fingered the note that was still in his pocket, and shook his head and pushed back the fluttering of butterflies madly trying to break out of his chest.

"Potter," he growled under his breath and swallowed the ball rising in his throat as he dumped his putrid clothes into the linen basket- where they disappeared on contact to be cleaned, and hurried from the bathroom. All he'd done since he'd first arrived at the damn school was cause Draco trouble, and from being unable to hate him, to not minding him, to liking him, he was now getting flushed at small and rather immature notes in the knowledge that he'd been through hisunderwear! And he couldn't even bring himself to feel violated! And now he was having impossible fantasies while he technically couldn't, he was being fondled under tables and he was teased into holding a conversation with the idiot while their faces were centimetres apart. All of this from being the one to bring a blush to the cheeks of the other, from being the one who loves you and leaves you and never drops his cool. He shook his head in disbelief and made his way over to the bed, only to have another surprise waiting for him.

He arched his eyebrow for what seemed like the hundredth time since he had awoken upon the sight of his magnificent eagle owl perched on the headboard of his crummy hospital bed. He looked so out of place, and by the way his amber eyes were glancing around the room, and the clicking of his beak, Draco could tell that he wasn't too happy about it. Upon feeling the brush of cool air that flushed against Draco's warm cheeks, his stormy eyes wandered until they came to rest on the open window, and strangely enough the window he hadn't noticed being open before. He let his arched eyebrow raise higher and shook his head before making his way over to his bed, seeing Zeus relax a little with the knowledge that he could leave sooner.

(A/N: sorry for interrupting, but I don't actually know what Draco's owl is called, so I decided to call it Zeus instead. I thought it fitting, but meh- sorry, carry on.)

Draco let his fast cooling fingers run through the eagle's feathers as he detached the formal envelope from the leg that his owl seemed very proud to hold for him. The soft feathers beneath his left hand made a stark contrast to the crisp cream paper, and Draco couldn't help but feel a wave of unease wash over him as he read his name in ornate green writing on the front. He couldn't place why he felt so suspicious of the innocent letter, but with the knowledge that no one would send him one was rather disconcerting.

It was only when he turned it over, feeling the sharp, threatening edges beneath his fingers as he made to break the green wax seal, did he know why he felt as he did. For imbedded in the wax with the print from a ring only one person would dare to wear, was a skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth.

The Dark Mark.

Draco's entire being was suddenly cast into an icy shell as he automatically rid his face of emotion but felt his heart beat faster in his chest and adrenalin run through his blood from the fear that enveloped him. His owl, Zeus, didn't notice his back straighten and his muscles tense as he flew through the open window silently, letting Draco's arm drop down to his side as he stayed as still as a statue, just staring. He was being summoned, the day he had dreaded for years had come upon him and there was no way he could run, and no way he could hide. He was going to become a Death Eater, he was going to burn and kill the innocent, he was going to fight for the dark, not the shadow he suddenly so wished to be swallowed by- those warm arms against his chest.

Up in the northeast tower, as he let the afternoon sun warm him from the open window, Harry Potter suddenly felt a wave of deathly cold. And the second that Draco disappeared without a sound from the hospital wing with a tug to his naval, Harry nearly felt his heart stop. Something terrible was about to happen, and he could do nothing about it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

And I could have been nice and continued on, making this chapter twice as long as I wrote bout Draco's initiation…

But then I thought 'hey- no one's ever accused me of being nice! So why the hell should I?'

So there, if you love me enough to wait you're worthy enough to read, so HAH!

Tee hee!

REPLIES!

Leïlia – I absolutely adore hearing about how you react, it really makes me feel happy about being able to make the stories seem real. Hope this chapter did as good!

aelistes – I TOTALLY AGREE! I was going to put 'woot- reached triple digits' like… a couple of chapters ago when I reached 100, and for some weird reason I didn't, so I decided to do it in this chapter. I have SO MANY! BUT! That doesn't mean I don't love every single one!

fifespice – I'll try and make Ron suffer some more just for the reviewers who hate him now! To answer your question- yeh, they're all jealous because he's getting absolutely everyone. And the healing- well that was another gift, self-healing. I'm trying to work them in like… merging them into the plot so it doesn't seem stupid when he suddenly exclaims 'WOW I HAVE SECRET POWERS' at random moments, lol.

dragondaughter – oh my god! This was so unexpected. Well- to start off with I'd like to thank all of my reviewers and… actually I don't have anyone else to thank because everyone I know laughs at me. Hah! Well, thanks to you peeps than kisses new shiny medal

WhiteDragonPriestezz – yes, I feel quite certain that Harry could think of many things to do while Draco's tied up…yeh, I agree, I love that word too- but thank god for spell check because I would have drawn a complete blank otherwise!

HecateDeMort – 5!

Hidaka Akiko – good to know I'm making it interesting, but I hope you get better! Yeh, I guess I can see what you thought, but I read them and thought I HAVE TO WRITE MY OWN but I needed to change something- you know, make it different. And TA DAA! Absolutely adore your little humour moment, and I'm glad you're spreading the word to random people in dark alleyways! Lol! Keep it up!

soph – oh dear! I can't believe you put this over your education, tisk tisk tisk! Lol! I know how you feel though, once I start reading I get hooked! Hope you did okay on it thought!

Phorcys – aw! You don't have to be witty love, the review's all I need!

Chailyn Cole Runewood – wow… just, wow… I'm a little confused by the transparency thing but the genuine compliment about my writing skills really touched, cheers!

kt – I may have to watch that movie, lol!

Kilikapele – wow! But I bet your only saying that cos it's the most action they've gotten yet. I really am dragging it out, aren't I. Meh, it works! Keep reading!

Danish Pastry 28 – well, my unforgivable lateness for this chapter will probably answer that question for you. When I'm on a roll they're all really quick updates, but sometimes I struggle because I can't get in the right feel and stuff…

Natasha AKA Tash – sorry, but not much progress is there? Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long.

firefairy42 – lol, I was blonde originally but I turned brunette so the second I suppose. Norman… lol, yes there will be more to come, hope you do well studying for the GSCE's, I can't believe your reading this and wasting valuable study time!

Alea – awwwwwww! Me luv's dreamy smiles me's do!

Shakespeares Whore – ah yes, I've had chocolate and medals and everything! But no one else gives BAKED goods the way that you do! Mmm… yummy! There ya go, another chapter, hope you like it!

SilverDragonWings – ah, it's not cowardly, it's Slytherin tact that is… I should know, I took 23 different tests and I still can't find out which house I'm in, it's torn between Slytherin and Gryffindor! Gar! Yes, I was very bored, don't blame me…YAY SWEEETS!

triola – yeh, the best part of the hunt is in the chase, I totally agree. And even though realistically this is a little quick to fall in love, it's stupid the stories that are all like 'OH MY GOD I'VE JUST MET YOU I LOVE YOU' so… yeh. Enjoy!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDDD…

Many thanks to nljfs, Beth5572, bunk64, firestarter99, RisuMusume and Makalani Astral!