Malfoy's desires
Chapter eight: Jewels and other thoughts.
All names and places associated to Harry Potter belong to JKRowling and associates. I'm just borrowing its world for fun… no money is to be made from this.
Draco turned away, a smirk firmly in place, as he thought of the rants and string of barely possible curses that had poured from his father's mouth when they entered the mansion. He hadn't heard that kind of talk in ages.
Thinking about it, as he went to his room, the last time his father had been this passionate, was when his mum was alive. As he passed the door to his room, he closed it quietly and cast a silencing charm. He began to snicker at first, and then it turned to a wholehearted belly laugh. The face on his father at the ministry was forever branded in his mind.
The moment the door had caught his father's face and ... um, was worth a week's detention with Filch! As soon as the surprise element had waned, the rage he saw was classic Lucius at his best. Apart from the deep red welt on his forehead and his hands clutching his groin preciously, Draco thought he was going to see a grand exhibition of Death Eater rage.
But as soon as the girl with the golden touch had peered around the door, the expected storm fizzled to almost nothing. To say that Draco had been surprised was an understatement. Gobsmacked was more like it.
When his father was in a better mood, he'd ask who the wench was. She was kind of pretty when he thought about it. But a pretty face had never influenced his father, never!
Meanwhile, Lucius was sitting by the fire grate in his private rooms. Nursing a large cognac in one hand and keeping the ice pack well positioned over his privates, he sighed with relief as the pounding was finally gone from his head. Draco had gone to fetch the salve and a small vial of pain reliever from his medicine cabinet.
Regretfully, the pain between his legs hadn't disappeared completely. He groaned as he shifted the ice pack at a different angle. Blasted girl! She almost halved his person with the dratted door. But the look of utter remorse and the way her lips pouted when she gleaned in from behind the door had cut his enraged diatribe.
He closed his eyes again, trying to recapture the exact moment when her eyes had gone wide with surprise when she'd seen whom she had assaulted. The rage had turned to near meekness on his part. Though he did say a few well-felt words of recrimination, his heart had started to pound deliciously within his chest.
But the feelings soon soured when he saw the young man that accompanied her. What was the name again? James, Jared or Jeffrey something or other... the name wasn't important as much as his presence near Katherine. The boy was barely out of puberty! What was the ministry doing anyway? Sending a boy to do a man's job... surely he couldn't be of much help?
He took another sip of cognac to appease his pain, which had diminished a little bit. He'd have to give it a visual inspection when he'd take a bath later on. Maybe a little anti-bruising salve would help his appendages heal faster?
He took the rest of his half-filled glass in one gulp and then stood up. He winced as his jewels settled down with gravity, forgetting to give them some support before moving. Merlin's britches, he thought with misery. He'd go bathing now rather than later, taking the salve off the table as he limped toward the bathroom.
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Katherine sat on her sofa, reading the tome on advanced Transfiguration she had picked-up at the library. She eyed one particular charm that could change any metal container to a feather. With one cocked brow, she concentrated on the wand movement before taking out her own rather battered example.
It was 11 inches, ash with a unicorn hair core; very good for transfiguration, or so Mr. Ollivander had told her so long ago. She took it with a light grip, trying to put what she saw in the book into practice. 'Up, down, cross-swish to the right and... Damn it!' she uttered with frustration. She had turned the page to continue the movements, but someone had erased the rest of the instructions.
Pocketing her wand, she went to the floo and threw some powder inside. 'Mary Whitton...' she called out for her friend. Mary was a whiz at Transfiguration and could probably help her out.
Mary's head soon appeared within the flames. 'Hey Kathy! What's up?' she cheerfully said with a wide smile.
Katherine smirked at her friend, 'how many times do I have to tell you, don't call me Kathy! Haven't been Kathy since our fourth year...'
'Aren't we a bit grumpy tonight!' Mary rolled her eyes at her. 'Ok then, what's up with you? Did one of those Neanderthals try to get a free feel from you again?'
'No, they didn't. I'm having problems with a Transfig. charm. Can you come over for a second?' Katherine said dryly.
'Just give me a moment while I put Justin to bed.' Mary's head disappeared from the flames.
Katherine sat back down and eyed the offending book with irritation. Some people had no respect for books from the public library. It made her fume further more because the book was actually a very good reference for most wizards and witches.
Mary came through a moment later, her wand in one hand and her Transfiguration tomes tucked in the crook of her other arm. 'Now...' she bent down to kiss Katherine on both cheeks, 'what seems to be the problem here?'
Katherine put the book on the coffee table and pointed to the charm she wanted to attempt. 'That's what I'd like to do, but I'm lacking some instructions.' she turned the page to show the erased bit.
Mary put her glasses on and read the charm aloud a few times. 'Oh! I remember this one, look while I show you the exact movements.' She demonstrated it a couple of times for her friend. 'It's quite easy to reproduce actually.'
"Easy for you maybe... you did get the 'O' in Transfiguration, not me.' Katherine said while pulling her wand out. 'Do it again, but a little slower this time.'
'Very well, Katherine. Do you need the incantation too?' Mary asked with a grin, happy to be of help for something else than nappy changing.
Katherine looked over the instruction. 'I might be missing some of it, so give me the incantation too.'
Mary showed it to her with flourish as she transfigured the small tin can into a pure white feather. 'Now, you go for it.'
Katherine did as instructed, but the feather was rather a dirty white variation. 'Hmm, how come it doesn't look like yours, Mary?'
'Pureness of heart, I expect...' she teased her friend tongue-in-cheek.
'Pureness, my aunt's...' A knock at the window interrupted her, making her swivel toward the window in the sitting room. She eyed the clock on the mantle with some concern. Who would owl her so late in the evening?
She pulled the drapes away and saw a large barn owl tapping the window with insolence. 'I know already, keep your feathers on!' Katherine muttered at the insistent creature.
She opened the window and the owl flew to the table, stretching its leg at her, emitting a sharp hoot to show its impatience. Katherine took the parchment, still eyeing the insolent bird. 'What a badly mannered owl, you are... Don't expect any owl treats from me!' She snapped back with much irritation.
As she opened the letter, Mary crossed over and looked over her shoulder. 'Who sent you the owl? Not the ministry, I hope?'
'No, it's...' Katherine had just seen the signature at the bottom of the note and quickly shoved the parchment in her pocket. 'It's not from the ministry. I'll answer it later on.' She blushed under her friend's scrutiny.
'Oooh! A gallant invitation!' Mary rubbed her hands together, 'Give me the scoop, will you? Who's the lucky bloke?'
Katherine shook her head, 'I will not do anything of the kind. It's a private missive, just leave it at that, Mary!'
'But Kathy! How can you do that to your oldest mate? We've shared almost everything together... come on, just let me have a little peek. I shan't bother you anymore and leave peacefully.' She gave her friend a wicked wink.
'Goodnight, Mary! Do say hello to Graham for me.' Katherine said as she pushed her friend to the fire grate. 'I'll floo over this weekend, I promise.'
Mary grunted her disapproval, 'this is so unfair! Won't you at least tell me who it's from?' she begged Katherine with a well-practiced doe-eyed look. That usually got her husband going, but this was not Graham she was dealing with.
'No!' came the categorical response as she threw some floo powder in the grate. 'Goodnight, Mary!
Mary hung her head down and entered the green flames. 'So much for our deep friendship... you wicked girl! Goodnight...Kathy!' she added with a smirk and then disappeared.