Chapter 17 - Letter in the Dungeons
The Slytherins were wary of being too close to Draco Malfoy these days. The littlest thing would set him off. So many of them were both surprised when Blaise Zabini entered the common room and made straight for the pacing blond.
"Malfoy! We need to talk in private." She announced briskly.
"What is it, Zabini?" Draco snapped angrily.
"I have found a way to put you in contact with Potter, but if you are not interested…" Blaise said lightly as she turned to walk away.
Draco was in front of her in an instant. "What do you mean? How are you going to get me and Potter together? Tell me NOW!" Draco yelled.
Blaise gave him an icy glare for a moment before responding. "First you need to calm down." She stated.
"Don't tell me to calm down. Just tell me how you are going to get Potter for me." Draco yelled.
Blaise sighed, "This plan will not work unless you are in control of yourself." She said bluntly.
"I am in control of myself." Draco yelled with such anger that it startled everyone in the common room.
Blaise still with the icy glare on her face, merely raised a questioning eyebrow. "Perhaps I can help you gain some measure of control Malfoy. Read the first nine chapters of this book on mediation and practice the techniques. Chapter five can be ignored. After you do, you should be calm enough for me to put you in contact with Potter." She said handing him the book Harry Potter had given her.
Draco looked at the book puzzled. "I don't care about any stupid book." He stated.
"You will if you ever want Potter to listen to you. This rampaging veela act won't get you what you want. Get to it Malfoy. The longer you take, the longer it will be before you are in contact with Potter." Blaise replied in a calm tone as she swept away from Draco.
Draco glared after her but then stalked off to his dorm with the book in hand.
It was late that evening when Draco emerged once again in the common room. He looked a great deal more composed than he had before. Blaise was sitting regally posed on the Slytherin green leather lounge in the corner of the common room. Draco crossed the room to stand before her. He stood staring at her until she dained to take notice of his presence.
"Malfoy." Blaise said emotionlessly.
"Zabini." Draco replied with a slight edge to his voice.
Blaise regarded the blond in front of her for a moment. "I suppose that will have to do." She said.
Draco knew she was talking about his emotional state. He was calmer than he had been for some time but that did not mean he was really calm. He at least had some ability to think rationally before acting. His desire was still there though and it had only one focus. "Thank you for the book. Mediation does indeed seem to help somewhat."
"Don't thank me, Malfoy. It was Potter's book. He merely asked me to give it to you." She said dryly.
"Potter, you have been talking to Potter?" he asked.
"Stay calm, Malfoy. Losing control now will only exacerbate your problem." Blaise replied intently.
Draco closed his eyes and started the deep breathing exercises that he had read about in the book. "You're right. I apologise. Please answer my question though." Draco said with forced calmness.
"Potter approached me in the library. He gave me that book so you might gain some control." Blaise said watching Draco Malfoy intently.
Draco smiled wistfully.
"I wouldn't read to much into it, Malfoy." Blaise said seeing the expression on his face.
Draco frowned again. "You said you could arrange a meeting with him."
"I said I could put you in touch with him." Blaise corrected, "But nothing is for free, Malfoy."
"What is it you want." Draco spat dangerously.
"Breathe, Malfoy" Blaise said coolly and without waiting for him to do so continued, "Don't worry, all I want is a wizards debt from you for the future. I help you in this and sometime you do something for me, no questions asked."
"I don't like unlimited debts, Zabini." Draco replied as his eyes narrowed.
"Those are my terms. Take it or leave it." Blaise replied with her well-known icy tone. The Zabini family were famous in the wizarding world for being hard negotiators.
Draco swore under his breath. He knew he had no choice at this point. He would do anything to get to Potter. "All right I accept."
"You give your wizards oath?" She asked looking up from her book once more.
"Yes, you have my wizards oath. Now tell me how you are going to put me in touch with Potter." Draco snared.
Blaise regarded him coolly and then pulled an envelop from between the pages of the book she was reading and handed it to Draco without a word.
Draco looked questioningly at the letter. "It's for you from Potter," Blaise stated.
Draco snatched it from her hand in an instant. He tore it opened and read it right there.
Draco,
Writing this letter to you has not been easy. I promised someone I would do it without the usual vitriol that passes between us but it is difficult. I will do my best however to be civil.
Let me state my views on our current situation.
I know the only reason you think I am your life mate is due to some plan of Voldemort. Whether you were manipulated without your own knowledge or whether you are knowingly collaborating with this scheme is immaterial.
I am not your life mate. I will not marry you. I don't like you or the pure blood stupidity you spout. In your own terms I am a half blood and beneath consideration to a Malfoy. Which I find quite funny really, as Voldemort is a half blood too and the Malfoys seem to have no problem kissing his arse. (Sorry slipping back into old habits there and upsetting your family's little delusion of pureblood superiority.)
I have no wish to see anyone permanently injured despite what you think. I take no pleasure seeing you so distraught over the past few days. I know from my own research that Veela denied their life mates can suffer greatly. But the solution is not in my surrendering what little remaining life I have to you. It is up to you to seek a simpler solution of finding another to fulfil the role of your life mate. Do yourself a favour and find someone who truly desires you and not because of your veela powers. Pansy Parkinson seems to the one interested in you the most, or if you are really gay, (muggle term for homosexually inclined), perhaps Goyle or Crabbe. It's up to you.
But the one thing you can count on is that I will not be your life mate under any circumstance. Cut your losses and let everyone get on with their own lives.
Harry James Potter.
"Damn him!" Draco snarled as he crumbled up the letter.
"I take it Potter has not confessed his undying love for you." Blaise said.
Draco glared at her.
"Really Malfoy, it was a joke." Blaise said. "If his letter was less than you had hoped for, your reply will have to be extraordinarily persuasive."
"My reply?" Draco said puzzled.
"Yes Malfoy, your reply. Did I not say I would put you in contact with Potter. Sleep on it and write a letter in reply to Potter's in the morning. Give it to me at lunch and I will see to it that Potter gets it." Blaise said coolly.
"When did you get so cosy with Potter?" Malfoy asked.
"When he asked me to be a candidate in the rituals." Blaise replied.
Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Malfoy. You owe me an unlimited debt by your wizard's oath. You can't attack me till the debt is paid or your own magic will backlash upon you." Blaise said smiling viciously and waving an annoying finger in Draco's face.
"You tricked me into that!" Draco snarled.
"Of course I did." Blaise laughed. "Did you think me mad enough not to gain some protection from your rampages. Look at the others in Slytherin. They are ready to run the minute you walk into the room. It's undignified to say the least. Now I don't have to be concerned about you at all." Blaise looked very smug.
Draco growled in annoyance. Zabini was right. He would not be able to touch her until that stupid oath had been fulfilled or his own magic would attack him until he was either unconscious or dead. Either way Zabini was safe from anything he could do.
"If you touch him…" Draco snarled knowing it was nothing but a bluff.
"Relax Malfoy. My father will never permit me to enter the rituals. I only agreed to consider entering to annoy father. The Zabini clan is very selective about who joins it. I doubt even you would be acceptable to father. Potter has no chance." Blaise replied smiling. "So go write your letter. I have reading to catch up on."
Draco was still glaring at her trying to decide if she was telling him the truth. He had not missed the slight against the Malfoy family. In the end he realised he could not do anything… for now. But once the debt was repaid he would extract his revenge on this girl who had dared toy with his Harry. Draco spun and stalked away back to his dorm. In the morning he would write his letter to Harry Potter. That was the important thing to do now. He would convince Potter to join him. He knew he could. He was after all a Malfoy!
Blaise watched the blond storm away over the top of her book. She smiled in amusement at the pointless display of emotion. She had played him like an expert. She was safe while the debt existed and as she had no intention of asking anything of Draco Malfoy soon, she would be safe from the Malfoys for many years to come. Blaise smiled at the thought and she returned to her book.