Please Note: This fic's rating has been upgraded to M/R. It's SLASH of course. Review Responses and Disclaimer are below.

""snaketalk"" Parseltongue

AN: Rune explanations are at the end of the chapter. How many ways can we be reflected? Hummm…let me count them…just kidding. Enjoy. LL

"Shut Up & Kiss Me"
by; imLittleLily

Expendable Pawns

The rain sleeting against the windows did nothing to soothe his anger. The reflection of pale skin and red snake-like eyes stared back at him from the silver of moisture journeying down the glass. He growled at his reflection and lifted thin fingers to his forehead. Perhaps a glamour charm? No, he thought.

"There's nothing here—"

He turned, eyed Quinton Jasperse, Death Eater, Worthless Pawn Extraordinaire, and then sneered. "Crucio."

Screams filled his library, only stopping when Bellatrix strolled into the room. He pulled his wand up, shaking his head. She looked down at Jasperse with distain and then raised her gaze to him before kneeling. "Have you found anything, My Lord?"

He growled deep in his throat. "No. Nothing. What could she have done to erect such wards? I've never even encountered anything like them." He paused to finger the scar left from his foray into the new Malfoy wards. It resembled an Eihwaz Rune or even worse; it looked remarkably like the scar upon Potter's head. No…that would be…

"Maybe…" Bella hesitated. "It wasn't her? Maybe, it was Draco?"

The anger that shot through him projected a roar from his gut. He flung his wand out and exploded all the glass in the wall of windows before him. "It's a rune—it has to be!"

Bella stepped closer, avoiding the glass on the floor and the rain now coming in. "May I?"

He glared, but succumbed to her scrutiny.

She tilted her head first to the right, and then to the left as a frown crossed her countenance. Her wand came up, and she whispered, "Lumos."

The light flashed in his eyes and he blinked without moving his head.

"It's not Sowelu, which would be similar to Potter's scar. It's more the Eihwaz Rune than anything." She frowned. "That's…" her voice disappeared within her fear as she stared up at him.

"What?" he growled.

"It has avertive and defensive powers…"

He stiffened. "Avertive?"

She nodded and quoted from her book of Runes, "If there appears to be an obstacle in your path, consider that even a delay may prove beneficial." She shrugged, shaking her head emphatically. "I don't think that was his intent though."

"Why?"

"Apparently as a ward, it isn't a temporary obstacle. There is also the defensive aspect to consider. That would be part of the new protections in place. Apparently Draco's been studying."

He growled and confronted the incoming rain, letting it hit him on his face, cooling the burning anger within. His turmoil of temper began to dissipate. He noticed something coming across the sky. "Are you sure it was Draco? The boy can't even kill a fool successfully."

"Yes. I'm sure. The Malfoy wards are intact. That requires a Malfoy to reset them."

He scowled at the mess of parchments scattered across the library table and turned back to the window. "Here comes an owl—" He stopped speaking when the owl, sodden from its journey, flew in through the broken glass and perched upon his favorite wing chair.

"Bloody hell…" Jasperse rasped, staring wide-eyed at the visitor. He backed away.

Bella moved closer eyeing it without fear.

The owl, black with a white face, glared at her, shook his wet feathers and moved out of her reach.

Amusement sparked as he watched the stranger on his wingchair divulge itself of water, black feathers bristling outward. Droplets of moisture flew in every direction from the hyperactive owl. It blinked up at him with black eyes from within a white mask. "Well, aren't you a handsome little devil?"

The little devil preened and took flight, landing upon his shoulder. "Who do you belong to? I believe I should steal you away," he crooned.

The owl screeched and nipped him on his ear. Then with all the dignity of a wet, handsome devil, he held his leg out so that he could be relieved of his delivery.

Voldemort sat in his wet wingchair and removed the parchment. Apparently, it was charmed to remain dry because when he opened it, the words written within were undamaged by the rain.


I saw what you did.

P.

He frowned and looked at the owl resting on his shoulder. "I thought Potter had a white owl?" The corner of his thin lips rose as he held the creature's gaze steadily.

Bella snorted and reached for the parchment. She waved her wand over it trying to get a reading. To his inquiring look, she shook her head. "There's no magickal signature. Surely, Potter can't perform such a complex spell…"

He shook his head feeling amused and rose, went to his desk and pulled out a fresh page. Wrote a note, expressing his sarcasm and signed it, The Dark Lord.

Bella frowned over his shoulder. "Sir?"

"Two can play at this game." He tied the note to the owl's leg and walked to the window. "Safe flight my devil. You will soon be mine."

The owl flapped him with his wings and exited through one of the glassless openings.

Temporary satisfaction filled him as the owl skimmed over the treetops, destined to return to Potter. Potter… he sneered in his mind. With an angry growl, he turned upon his worthless Death Eater. "You are supposed to be an expert yet you cannot figure this new Malfoy ward out. I should just turn you over to the vigilantes—another worthless pawn pulling on my power."

Jasperse trembled, clutching a tome to his chest as though he wished to disappear within. "If the ward is connected to the new scar, then you will not be able to breach them—even with Malfoy dead."

Another roar erupted and he swung his wand around, sweeping the room's parameter, everything in its path flailing. Parchments waved down on the air, books crashed to the floor and Jasperse reached forward in an effort to save some of them from burning.

Still not satisfied, Voldemort crumpled the note from Potter and threw it into the fire. The flames jumped, filling the hearth with a sudden burst of energy and heat—and then they completely died, leaving coldness in their wake. He stared at the blackness, trepidation journeying down his spine.

Lily Potter: From BOS…Just in Case…

"Frequently, using Light and simple spells when dealing with Death Eaters will have magnanimous results—they will often expect the worst—thereby creating it themselves. Judder is one example used before. It's a simple charm that makes the receiver shake or vibrate rapidly. It intensifies according to the individual's mental reaction. I learned this notorious trick from James. I must say, I've seen him use it to—"

"Appearances are often deceiving—use them. Need I say more?"

"A wise teacher once told me, 'Magic always leaves traces…sometimes distinctive, other times in minuscule shadows of itself…' Take advantage of the traces of magic all around you…"

The candlelight in the room flickered across his hair, highlighting the long black tresses Draco wore from the glamour charm. He frowned. UGH! Harry looked awesome with black hair—he looked like hell. He smirked at his reflection in the full-length mirror. Course that's what he was supposed to look like—hell earthbound incarnate. The silver tattoos gracing his cheekbones gave him a sinister air. They enhanced his face with extra light to his sterling eyes. The snakes, tails linked in the center of his forehead, moved down his temples to end coiled across his cheeks, looking at his prey with their own sparkling Slytherin green eyes. Geez, Harry had a weird sense of humor, or whatever the hell it was. Gryffindor Golden Boy…who knew? He allowed the thought to vanish into his reflection, and then reached up and pulled the deep black cowl hood up to drape over his face. He spun around and arrived in the small cubical they had created in which to interrogate their pawns.

The Death Eater, sitting in a steel chair, yelled when he appeared and tried to jump up. His legs failed to serve him; he landed, crumpled on the stone floor.

Draco smirked down at him. "Foolish move from a fool." He raised his hand within its deep bell sleeve and levitated the man, planting him roughly upon the chair, his wrists bound to the table. "Be still," he commanded.

The man trembled, staring up at the specter Draco knew he presented. He eyed him through the hood. No wonder Harry likes these robes. He allowed himself a smirk and began pacing in front of the two-way mirror. The black of his robes gave the impression of shimmering shadows on the glass. He resisted the urge to lower his hood and grin at Harry on the other side. "You do realize that you won't be seeing your Master again, right?"

"Wh—who are you?"

"That's not important. The important thing is why we are here. You must have valuable information since you were apprehended at the Malfoy Manor. Today, we will see if it truly has value or if you were just another expendable pawn for Voldemort."

The Death Eater gasped, horror registered on his face.

Draco released a cackling laugh, thinking, this is fun… "Why were you at the Malfoy Manor? Who are you?"

The man sat stubbornly silent, yet trembling.

Draco snarled from his throat.

The man jumped; however, his bindings restrained him, bringing forth a painful yell at the involuntary move.

Draco stopped in front of the table and leaned forward, hands planted squarely. "I don't need to use Imperious, you know." He lowered his voice and spoke menacingly. "All I have to do is snap my fingers…you'll talk."

The man tried to pull back from Draco's shrouded form. Eyes wide, he sputtered, "You—you're them…"

Draco chuckled. "Them?"

"Vigilantes…"

His chuckle grew into a full laugh. "There are no vigilantes. You are merely a pawn and don't even know it." A thought occurred to him and he tucked it away for later. "I want to know who you are. Speak now!"

The man blubbered, gasped and then spouted, "Elwood Tavish Melberg!" Shock registered on his face.

"Ah… Why were you at Malfoy Manor, Elwood Tavish Melberg?"

Jaw set, he moved his head in negative adamant refusal.

Draco snapped his fingers.

The Death Eater started jerking in agitation. Draco knew it wasn't because of the jinx itself—the man was fighting it with fierce determination, bringing on physical distress. The actual charm he used was rather mild. He shook his head. "You may as well answer. It's only going to get worse."

Thrashing noises were the only response he received.

"Tsk…tsk…tsk…"

The man threw his face down onto the table with a crunching crash, shattering his nose, sending blood spraying over the table and his shirtfront.

Draco sighed, glided around, grabbed rusty hair and pulled the man's head back to look at him. With his free hand, he pushed the hood off his face.

A yell erupted and Elwood Tavish Melberg promptly wet himself and fainted.

Draco glanced at the two-way mirror briefly, rolled his eyes, and then said, "Enervate."

There was a tap on the window. He nodded in response, cleaned the man's mess up with a wave of his hand and shook him. "If you'd just talk, it'd be easier for you."

Round eyes stared at his face, glued to the snakes on his cheeks.

He arched his brows. "What, you don't like snakes? Seems a little off color for a Death Eater, considering you have one on your arm."

"Not a Death—"

Draco vanished Melberg's left sleeve, tilting his head as he now quirked a single brow. "Not a Death Eater?" he asked, pointing to the Dark Mark emblazoned before them. "Why were you at the Malfoy Manor?"

An inner struggle ensued. This time it wasn't as violent.

"Well?" he asked, realizing Melberg was weakening. "I'm waiting…"

A swelled tongue came out and licked lips nervously.

Draco shook his head and raised his hand as if to snap his fingers.

Melberg gasped and yelled, "To find Malfoy!"

He snorted. "Malfoy's in Azkaban."

"No, not Lucius. His son, you know, Draco Malfoy."

"Now we're getting somewhere. Why does Voldemort want Malfoy?" He ignored the Death Eater's gasp at the sound of a name and reached into his pocket, pulling out a chess piece.

Melberg's eyes locked on the small pawn.

"Know what this is?" He tossed the piece up in the air, rolled it in his fingers after catching it, and then set it in front of Melberg, just out of reach of his bound hands.

"It's a pawn from a chess set."

"Ah, so you can answer questions easily without struggle." Draco tapped the pawn with his forefinger. "Interesting thing about this chess piece…"

A chin came up, even as eyes remained locked upon it.

Draco leaned forward again. "It doesn't come from a real chess set. In fact, it's part of a pair."

Melberg made a strange noise in his throat.

"Realization? Humm, let me see? Do I forget questioning you and resort to your friend here—there's always the chance he'll—"

"No!"

"Then why am I not hearing—"

"He failed the Dark Lord! Sniveling little—"

Draco's hand shot out and landed on the man's nose. A loud crack resounded, accompanied by Melberg's yell. "Seems I've broken your nose for you—that's twice in less than ten minutes. Shall I heal it and try again?"

Elwood Melberg gasped through his pain and blood, shaking his head. "No—I mean…" he blubbered.

"Mean?" He waved his hand, healing the broken nose again.

"He wants…" Melberg took a rasping breath and stared at him.

"Who wants what?" Draco snarled.

"The Dark Lord wants Malfoy Manor."

A surge of anger went through him. He fought to force it down. "And how does he expect to take it?"

"If the son is dead, then Mrs. Malfoy will fall apart. Lucius is in Azkaban…"

Draco fought the urge to curse him into oblivion. He took a deep breath and shook the feeling off. He raised his hand.

Melberg flinched.

"Who's this?" he asked, pointing to the other chess piece on the table.

"Kendric Dequire."

Draco arched his brow sharply. "Really?"

Melberg frowned. "You know him?"

Draco snorted. "Do we ever really know anyone?" He whispered an incantation, walked around the table and picked the pawn up from the chair with a shake of his head.

Harry's voice came to him from the door. "Who's Kendric Dequire?"

"Fourth cousin—distantly related. I thought he was in France. He must be under a glamour charm and using an alias so no one at the Manor would recognize him."

"Oh. Shall we say hello?"

Draco shook his head, palming his distant cousin. "I'm glad we got mum out of the Manor and the new wards in place. That old snake can't get in now. What do you suppose he really wants? Do you think he knows about the locket?"

"Perhaps." Harry shrugged and placed the two pawns in their bag and tucked them in his pocket. "Dobby says it's time for supper."

Narcissa frowned at her face in the circular mirror. Dark circles and hollow cheeks glared back at her. Without the charm to make her look the picture of perfection, she wore a look of haggardness. She was never hungry despite the fact that she should be eating healthy fare. Dobby and Winky took excellent care of her, why shouldn't she?

Her eyes dropped to her heart. The rosebud there had acquired an unusual effect recently. Two tear drops formed on the soft crimson petal and yet another in the process of falling from the serpent's eye. She circled the flower bud with her index finger. "Sev," she whispered within her mind, releasing it softly into the mirror.

"You're such a tease, Cissa…"

She groaned. "I miss you…"

"Look to your heart…live…Cissa…"

She swallowed her sadness and picked up her brush. Running it through her hair, gave her a small sense of comfort. With one final pass, she replaced the brush in her drawer, picked up her wand and waved it in front of her. Blossoming cheeks, perfect makeup and glistening eyes now reflected back. She reached for her perfume and spritzed some on, giving her the impression of lilies.

Finished, her hand paused over a sterling powder box, engraved with narcissi and grapevine leaves. An urge to tease washed over her. She twisted it open and rolled the stone within around with her index finger. "Doing well, my precious?" She smirked, feeling better, and stood to go down for supper. For some reason, putting Wormtail in her talc box despite his allergy to the scent and properties of the powder gave her a warm fuzzy feeling.

"Later, you little rat." She closed the door firmly and went to enjoy a pleasant supper with her family—Potter included.

Harry shook his head and swallowed his bite of roast beef. "So you think she's either under Imperious or a pawn for Voldemort?"

Draco set his goblet of pumpkin juice down. "That's what I think. Why else could she have reported so quickly on the deaths of the last three Death Eaters."

Harry scowled and tapped his fork on his plate. "Draco, she's just some stupid reporter who writes the stories she thinks will cause a sensation with readers. She's like her namesake, Pandora's Box, a vessel of doom."

"All the more reason for Voldemort to use her. Maybe we should get Ghillie to look into her background."

Harry pressed his fingers against his brow line and rubbed fiercely. Agitation ground within at this new possible development. Maybe he's right, he thought. "Okay, we'll have Ghillie check into her. What did you think about the results of using Judder on Melberg?"

Draco smirked evilly and wagged his brows, causing the snakes on his face to dance.

"AHHH!" Narcissa Malfoy stood in the archway, eyes round, staring at Draco.

Draco jumped up. "It's okay, mum. It's just me."

She looked unconvinced. "Draco, why on earth and…" Her glare intensified as she scanned his black hair and silver snake tattoos.

"It's just a glamour charm, mum."

Harry ducked his head slightly to hide his amusement. He had purposefully left the charm on Draco. He wanted to try it out…hummm…later.

Narcissa took a deep breath and pulled her chair out. "What is this about you using something—Judder? What's that?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked between them. "You've been torturing someone."

"Mum…"

"Draco, don't lie to me."

Draco sighed. "Mum, we didn't do anything really bad. I used a charm called Judder. It causes whatever or whomever it is placed on to shake rapidly. We used it to get a Death Eater to talk. You remember I told you they were at the Manor."

"Why on earth would a Death Eater talk if it's a simple charm?"

"They don't know that, mum. He thought I was controlling his mind." He shrugged. "I let him think that."

She narrowed her eyes once more. "And the tattoos?"

"Just temporary, mum."

Dobby and Winky cleared everything away once supper was over.

Picaro came in through the magical portal Harry had created in the wall for owl deliveries. He flew straight to Harry who still sat at the dining table, the evening edition of the Prophet spread before him. "Hey, Picaro. Back so soon?"

He blinked at Harry and held his leg out. Harry smirked and reached for the missive. "So the demon writes in response."

Narcissa gave a small piffle sort of snort.

Harry chewed his inner lip and unfurled the note.


Potter,

Not possible—However, if it were, what are you going to do about it?

The Dark Lord

Harry shook his head and handed it to Draco. Draco scowled at the writing and growled angrily. "So he guessed who P. was."

"Told you, I'm not worried about that."

Draco made a snarling noise as Narcissa studied him under arched brows. "Harry…"

"Draco, he's been after me my whole life. Knowing this about me isn't going to—oh, I don't know—make him want to kill me."

"Aggravating the situation won't help anything, Potter."

"Mum, call him Harry." Draco returned the parchment to Harry. "So keeping up a running conversation will open the magic further?"

Harry nodded, conjured a fresh page and began to write.

Narcissa approached and picked up Voldemort's note. "What do you mean 'open the magic'?"

"Magic leaves traces…" he said as he wrote the same words. His eyes rose when she made a strange sound in her throat. He smiled at her perplexed look. "It's easy. Even when the Ministry investigates a crime or misuse of magic, they can do a reading for magical signature, right?"

"Yes."

"And I'm sure that Voldemort checked the note I sent for my magical signature. He didn't find one because I charmed the parchment. However, I charmed it with an opening spell. Now, there is a line of communication between us—he won't realize its extent because he will take the issue of residual magic very lightly. I guess you could say that light magic can conquer…" he allowed his voice to disappear within a smirk.

Draco laughed and picked up the newest note reading it. "Wait and see, and how's your fire burning? Cryptic much?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah. He burned the last note. We'll send this tomorrow; let Picaro have some family time."

Picaro hooted and exited through the portal to stay the night with Hedwig.

Narcissa fingered the note, chewing on her lower lip. "Why aren't you worried about the magical traces at the cathedral?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't use my wand. My dad's wand was altered—that means they won't be able to get a reading.

Harry pushed his hand through his messy locks, leaned forward and stared at his scar in the mirror. He sighed. Bloody thing…literally…it was bleeding again. He could smirk and joke about opening the magical connection between himself and Voldemort. However, in reality; he still didn't like the idea. His anger at the shifts within his mind over the loss of memories brought a sneer to his face even now. Dumbledore had been avoiding him since his report of the foray into Voldemort's mind just in time to see him kill another Death Eater. He sighed again. Bloody hell, just what I need.

He flinched and stared at his blood on his fingertips. "Winky."

"You is bleeding again, Mister Harry?"

"Yes, Winky. Please bring the potion." She popped out and he returned his focus to the mirror. He scowled even as a thrill thrummed through him when Draco's snake tattooed face appeared. He grinned. "Hey, handsome."

Draco leaned against the doorframe and wagged his brows. "Bleeding again?"

"Yeah," he replied, sighing. "How's your mum?"

Draco pulled away and approached him, taking a cloth and wetting it, he applied pressure to Harry's scar. "She still won't tell me why she isn't eating properly or why she spends so much time alone, hiding away in her chambers."

Winky returned, bringing the necessary remedies for Harry and proceeded to work on him with efficiency.

Harry sat patiently on a stool while she worked over him. "Winky," he said casually, "what's going on with Mrs. Malfoy?"

Winky's hand stopped in midair, a slow frown drawing across her face. She looked at him, shaking visibly.

"Harry…" Draco breathed. "You shouldn't…"

Moisture welled within her eyes and Harry realized he was creating confusion for her. "Winky," he spoke gently. "We're concerned about her. Draco's mum isn't acting right. He's very worried."

A piercing scream broke the air. Winky's eyes, already round, expanded. "You's not bleeding now—'cuse—" She popped out without finishing her statement. Draco grabbed Harry's shirtfront and spun them around even as another scream erupted.

He landed in a tangle of arms in Mrs. Malfoy's bedchamber. She gasped at their sudden arrival.

Harry experienced shock at the sight of her sitting in a pool of blood.

"MUM!"

"I'm sorry, Draco!" Tears streamed down her pale face.

Confusion calmed as soon as Dobby arrived on the scene carrying the potions. "She will be fine, Mister Harry Potter."

Harry cringed.

Winky, in the process of making strange preparations around the bed, talked incessantly about getting Mrs. Malfoy there so she could be more comfortable.

Draco helped her to stand, cursing the blood and water everywhere. "We'll talk about this later, mum."

Harry was sure he was grinding his teeth and speaking at the same time.

Mrs. Malfoy kept repeating, "I'm sorry, Draco…"

The next thing Harry knew, two very stubborn house elves ordered them out of the room.

"I want to stay!" Draco roared.

Winky snapped her fingers loudly. "You go!"

Mrs. Malfoy screamed in pain, expressing her opinion. She panted and then looked at Draco through sad eyes. "Go. I'll be fine…I promise…" Another pain seized her.

Winky pushed them through the door.

"Bloody hell!" Draco yelled, staring at the solid oak between him and his mum. "She could've told me!"

"What something to drink?" Harry piped up.

Draco spun and glared at him.

Harry shrugged and grinned. "I just thought some celebration was in order since you're going to be a big brother."

"You don't celebrate until after, Potter! Damn, she looked like hell…" His worried face turned from Harry and stared wide-eyed at the door. "She could've told me," he whispered mournfully. He shook visibly and demanded, "Take this charm off. You'll just have to play later."

"Sure," Harry said, moving closer and raising his hands to Draco's face. He touched the center of his forehead and traced the snakes. "She'll be fine," he whispered as he moved around his temples to cheeks. "Dobby and Winky know what to do."

Draco leaned into his caress. "I hope so."

It seemed like days although it was only several hours before they reentered her chamber. The silence had been nearly unbearable for them. Apparently, Dobby had placed a charm on the room so they heard nothing. Finally, Dobby opened the door wearing an ear wide grin.

"Draco, Harry, come in."

Surprise charged through him as Harry stood inside the door. She had always called him Potter; no matter how many times Draco requested she call him Harry.

Draco sat on the edge of the bed, a frown on his face. "Mum?"

She smiled brilliantly and pulled a soft blanket away from a tiny face. "Meet your baby sister, Rose Mari. It's fine, Harry, you can come over, too."

Harry approached and looked down into a porcelain face surrounded by a thick head of black hair and teased with long black lashes.

Draco's finger smoothed the dark hair down and brushed the tender translucent cheek. "Mum?"

"She's Sev's daughter."

"Bloody hell…"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was afraid we wouldn't make it because it was a difficult pregnancy. That's why I've been so distant…" She looked up into his face with a pleading look, seeking understanding.

"She's so little…"

"She's six weeks early. I have to admit, she gave me a fright announcing her arrival in such a way."

Draco merely nodded. "Are you all right now?"

She pulled him close and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm fine."

Draco stretched languidly next to him. He lifted the corners of his mouth, eyeing him appreciatively. "You alright?" One simple move and his heart rate jumped forward in anticipation.

"Yeah. Do you want to put the charm back?"

He shook his head. "No. It served its purpose."

Draco wagged his pristine brows luridly. "Ah…black hair and snake tattoos?"

He felt a roll of laughter in his stomach and reached to skim his fingers over Draco's fair skin. "I didn't want you to have any trace of Malfoy for him to see. I left your skin intact." He feathered his fingers across Draco's chest, spiraling his left nip, mesmerized by the vision of his darker tones against fine porcelain.

Draco moaned and moved up into his touch.

"As to the snakes—I put two snakes forming and moving from your third-eye. One for you and one for me…"

"But, you aren't a Slytherin."

"Gryffindor's hat wanted to put me in Slytherin—even now, I sometimes wonder why." Draco's face, a picture of pure shock, brought the laughter to the surface. He leaned down and pressed his lips chastely on enticing softness. "What do you suppose would've happened if we were both in Slytherin?"

Draco made a gurgling sort of noise and clasped his neck, pulling him into a deeper kiss.

He smirked in his mind as his tongue massaged Draco's with voracious invitation. He arched over Draco's body, emitting a feral groan when he made contact with his erection. "You feel awesome…mmmnn…"

Draco's sexiest smile graced his features. Lithe fingers across his chest, left fire in their wake. He leaned down to be closer and plunged his tongue into Draco's waiting mouth.

The heady passion ignited by their tongues dancing, flipped his heart into a Wronski Feint. Draco growled beneath him when they shared the sensation. Without warning, he found himself on his back, looking up into emotional sterling silver pools. "Drac…"

Draco smirked. His fingers began the pleasurable job of driving Harry Potter to the edge of passionate reason.

He hissed when a pinch called his attention to his chest. Draco's wet tongue, flicking his nip and spinning in atonement, followed the sensation of exquisite pain. He groaned and arched to Draco, seeking closer contact.

Draco responded by forcing his hips down. "Stay," he commanded, albeit in an unctuous throaty voice.

He roared and thrust. Wetness hugged his cock. Ahh…there…fuck… He groaned expressing fiery craving when he felt the back of Draco's mouth on his head. "I'm yours," he gasped, repeating it over and over. The edges of his body disappeared as wave after surging wave carried him screaming into oblivion of orgasm… Draco was there somewhere—he knew, because he could feel his heart beating in tandem with his.

ANs: judder: verb: shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively (Example: "The old engine was juddering") GAGH! Where do I get this whole playing with words thing anyway?

AN2: Bella's quote from her Book of Runes is an exact quote from my copy of Ralph H. Blum's Book of Runes. Sowelu is the rune of Wholeness and is represented by a lightening bolt shape. This would be Harry's scar. (In my wonki brain.) Eihwaz is more of an angled backward Z. It represents Defense, Avertive Powers and (interestedly enough) is connected to the Yew tree. Voldemort's wand just happens to be—Yew. This combined with Harry's blood, should keep the old snake at bay.

Reviews are like Chocolate Frogs . . .
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Let me know what you think. Thank You . . . Blessings. LL

Hi Everyone. Thanks for taking the time to review. I hope I don't get into trouble with FF, but I find I don't like not responding here to my wonderful reviewers. So here goes...

As always, review responses are in the order received. LL

Mis-HD: Cackles on this side of the computer screen. Harry's marbles are intact. hehehe… How about a Monday filled with Draco & Harry? Hope I can make Monday just as fun for you as Thursday. Some questions about Narcissa are answered in this chapter—it wasn't exactly a stick…lol. I want to Thank You for your wonderful compliment of being unpredictable. You are awesome. I'm really striving in my writing to accomplish several goals and that is one of them. Thanks for making my day with your kind words. Blessings. LL

Natasha AKA: Tash: Geez…I hope everything is better by now. Sometimes college can be the hardest thing we do. Hang in there…it's all worth it. The best reward you can send me is your priceless review. I really can't say that enough. (I may be in trouble with another site because after 200 reads, Chapter 9 received ONE review—two months after I published it. I mentioned something about apathy at that site in my response. Just waiting to get kicked off now…) Your continued support has given me so much. If I ever seek publishing in any genre, I intend to thank my readers worldwide for their support. Take care of yourself, thanks for all your encouragement and as always… Blessings. LL

DemonRogue: Hi. I always try to balance the angst with a certain amount of fluffy goodness. I think it's an essential part of my learning process. Thanks for your review. Hope you enjoy this next chapter—I answered one of the Narcissa questions. Little Rose Mari…humm… Blessings. LL

MikaPotter: Hi. I almost pm'd you. I have a question about the thought process that I suspect you can answer. In the last chapter, Harry wasn't actually in the Pensive. He was annoyed with Dumbledore's insistence that he remove some vital memories. His thoughts, in italics, indicate his emotions over the situation. I really need to go back and work on that if it didn't come through clearly. I did go in and extend the opening line as he stood before the Veil—hope that helps. All of these problems fall under the category of POV—something I've been hammering into my poor brain the last few months. Thanks for reviewing—everything always helps me so much. Blessings. LL

Rohynn: Thanks.  Hope you like this next chapter. Blessings. LL

Sympatheticassassin: (Review submitted for chap. 2) Would it make you feel better to know you've gotten past the only instance of talking to anatomy? As a writer, I tend to push the envelope to see where my stories can go. That particular segment comes from an actual memory of overhearing guys talking about that part of their bodies. Yeah, they talked to their body parts. Being female myself, the only body part I talk to is my muddled brain—long explanation that I won't go into here. However, Shut Up & Kiss Me is written from the POV of a guy—that's where the concept came from. I'm working on improving my tight POV. I apologize if you felt uncomfortable. Like I said, it's the only instance in the story. Thanks for reviewing. Blessings. LL

Blanket Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. and all other characters within Potter World do not belong to me. No infringement is intended. I am making no money here; just having fun. Kudos and blessings to the literary genius JKR.