Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
I'm sorry for
asking you
To be sorry
But I'm even
sorrier for
Asking you to be
Apologetic.
It's supposed
to be
Common knowledge
That you're as
sorry
As sorry can
never
Ever
Get.
-I'm Sorry…?- IssaLee (Yep. I'm a poet, and I sure as hell know it.)
Life's Sort of Funny When You're Crazy
issalee
Rabastan Lestrange arrived at Hogwarts in a most plain fashion.
Harry was watching him enter the gates from the library window, with Ron and Hermione (he'd apologized, she had graciously accepted) just behind him. He felt like he would have wanted Draco to be there, but the blonde Slytherin had suddenly become quite enigmatic, and was refusing to talk to any Gryffindors.
Rabastan was an average sized man, with, surprisingly, pure white hair. It was so white, in fact, it looked as though someone had just taken a pencil and erased all of the color. His skin was a pale color, but he had a rosy blush settling securely on his rather boyish face. He looked more like a victim than a predator, but than he glanced upwards, and Harry saw the same calculating look he'd seen in Voldemort's eyes hidden in this man's.
Rabastan was being ushered along by a worried looking Kingsley Shacklebolt and a sour-faced woman with sunken eyes. Harry watched them until they disappeared into the building, and then he turned back to his parchment and began to write down his homework.
Ron and Hermione glanced at each other with worried looks on their faces. Life, they knew, was about to get a whole lot more screwed up.
Next Night, Midnight
Tynan crept down the hallway, her long golden hair sweeping in a wide arc behind her as she turned the corner. All was quiet in Malfoy Manor; it was to be expected, as it was midnight. She was all alone, in her dark planet.
She giggled like a naughty child. This was the way she preferred her world; dark, with no idea what lay behind her. Her ice blue eyes roved the hallway again; she was excited, too much so to sleep.
Tomorrow, she would see her nephew. Tomorrow, the chosen Dark Lord would come.
Lucius had been telling her about Draco, marvelous, wondrous things. Slytherin Prince and All Around Sex God, with the added bonus of being an Urian—with fangs! This was a boy she could be proud of…but she had plans for him. She wasn't going to leave a boy with such potential in Lucius' incapable hands; doubtless, the boy was already tainted with an inkling of what lay outside of his father's protective circle.
Tynan sighed. What she would give for a child, sometimes…but Draco would make up for all of that. She would teach him what he needed to be taught to survive. Speaking of which, she wasn't going to leave him in that filthy hovel they called a school any longer. What Lucius didn't know about the meeting he had arranged for her with Draco was, when she left, Malfoy Jr. would be with her.
The young woman smiled and stifled a wild laugh. This was going to be the best fun she'd had since she was an active Death Eater! Especially now that there was a new Lord, one whom only a few select knew of…Bellatrix, for example, and herself and Lucius. But she, and only she knew that the new Lord wouldn't last much longer.
"Draco Malfoy," she whispered, unable to suppress herself. "I will find you…and when I do, I will make you into the most fearsome, awful, terrible sight the world has ever known!" A slight shimmer, obviously of magic, followed these words, escaping from her mouth in a soft sigh.
Her eyes glittered malevolently in the night as she melted into the shadows.
Draco awoke, shivering and sweating simultaneously. He'd had such a terrible nightmare…with another shudder for good measure, he slipped out of bed. He ignored the cold floor on his bare feet, and shuffled over to his bathroom, ruffling his already mussed hair. He glared at himself in the mirror, checking that his fangs were still there. They were becoming a familiar part of him now, and he couldn't imagine life without them.
The routine he had was becoming rather normal. He'd been having nightmares centered around various things since he'd received the letter three days ago. And then there was the fact that he'd had to adjust to the stares he received, after suddenly reappearing in school. With so much suspicion floating around him, nightmares were the least of his worries. His friends didn't think so, and they had set up precautionary measures.
As he walked out of the bathroom, Draco nearly tripped over Pansy and Theodore, who were lying curled up around each other on the one, long sleeping bag they'd conjured. He sighed, wishing he had a camera. Then his eyes traveled to the other side of the makeshift bed. They lingered there for a long, long moment.
Where was Blaise?
A cold chill suddenly hit him, and Draco's eyes widened. "Stupid, headstrong Zabini prat." He cursed, and began to wake up Pansy and Theo.
Two Hours Earlier
Harry came awake quite suddenly, and started as he saw something resembling two mini-oceans glaring at him. He moved for his wand, but a hand stopped his movements.
"Potter," said a low voice. "We need to talk."
The Gryffindor was wide-awake by now. "Blaise?" he said, a little groggily. "Why are you here? How'd you get in? Is Malfoy—"
"Shut it!" Blaise said harshly, and retreated. Harry sat up, and saw the Slytherin sitting at the corner of his bed, looking uncannily like a cat of some sort. He did, however, look very much exhausted. "Potter, I need your help."
"So you snuck into my common room and ignored near seven years of rivalry?"
Blaise huffed. "I wasn't the one making all those remarks, Potter! I haven't done anything wrong, just in case you didn't notice! You barely even knew me before this whole thing."
Harry grinned sheepishly, running fingers through his hair. "S'pose you're right. Sorry about that. So what do you need?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"Er…well, I sort of need you to help the person who did make those remarks."
"Malfoy?" Blaise didn't miss the glimmer of worry as Harry stilled in the dark. "What's wrong with him? Is he ok? Is it the Urian thing again?"
"No." Blaise said. "It's worse." He explained about the letter, leaving nothing out, sure Harry would find out about it anyway. When he was done, the Gryffindor was lying against his headboard, eyes closed.
"How did you get in here, anyway?" Harry whispered.
Blaise shrugged. "How do any of us get anywhere? I walked, of course, and I waited until I saw Longbottom finally come up with the password and slipped in behind him. Your Fat Lady isn't very observant."
"No. She isn't." Harry said, thinking of Sirius' first attempt to get into Hogwarts. "Zabini, what do you want me to do exactly? I don't get how I'm supposed to get at this woman if she's capable of getting into Hogwarts. Maybe we should go after Lucius first?"
"Lucius isn't helping." Blaise said indisputably. "Tynan can get in here all by her lonesome. She isn't some weird damsel in distress type. I know she isn't."
"How do you know so much about her if she's Draco's aunt?"
Blaise's eyes flashed. "I know a lot of things, Potter. Are you in, or are you in?"
Harry folded his arms resolutely across his chest and glared coldly at the Slytherin. "Zabini, give me one good reason why I should help Malfoy and you, and I'll go quietly."
Blaise leaned in closer, eyes flashing as he spoke softly. "Because, Harry, it's for Draco. And if it's for Draco, I would think you'd at least pretend to have some interest."
There was a long quiet between them, and then Harry rolled his eyes. Rabastan, he could deal with later. The trial wasn't until Saturday, but Draco only had another few hours. He failed to keep an anxious look off his face as he replied.
"Let's go, then."
Draco was furious.
Blaise was still missing, and Pansy and Theo had no idea where he'd gotten to. The Slytherin knew that Blaise would, of course, try to find some way to help him out.
"Stupid, idiotic…oh, he can burn in the most fiery depths of Hell!" he hissed, as he stalked back and forth in his room. "If he's done anything that could get me in trouble with Father I swear I'll castrate him!"
Theo blanched a little at that, suddenly thankful that he wasn't Blaise. Pansy spoke up in their friend's defense. "Draco, I'm sure that Blaise may think up some wild and crazy ideas, but surely he wouldn't put any of them into action. He wouldn't be able to, not here at Hogwarts."
Draco opened his mouth to say something, but at that exact moment a clacking on the window caught his attention. He strode towards it and threw open the window, ignoring the rush of air that accompanied it. The eagle owl outside blinked dark eyes at him, and Draco scowled as he took the roll of parchment from around its leg. He unraveled it and read it out loud.
Draco, Dearest,
Hullo! It's your aunt Tynan writing! How long it's been, Draconis, since I've seen you last. Your father informed me of your free period today, and I was just so excited! Meet me at as soon as this letter gets to you (I have no doubts it will without interception) by the place they call the Forbidden Forest. Severus has already taken care of your absence, although I daresay he seemed quite reluctant to do so.
You wouldn't mind terribly if your Godfather disappeared, would you?
Don't be tardy!
Aunt Tynan (Call me Ty, dearest.)
A silent moan escaped the blonde's lips as he saw the owl fly out over the castle grounds, and then swoop down to the same secluded edge of forest he'd almost died in.
"Are you really going to go?" Pansy asked quietly.
Draco hunched his shoulders, and knitted his eyebrows together. "Since when do I have a choice? It's a win-win situation, for her."
"We're coming with you," said Pansy steadfastly. Theodore nodded.
Draco didn't say a word, but they saw him relax a little. When he turned around, the coldly arrogant expression was back on his face, and he stood tall. He was every inch the Malfoy he was meant to be.
"You're a great improvisation actor, Draco." Theodore said helpfully. The mask didn't slip for a moment as Draco turned to face him, with a look that said all. Theodore kept his mouth shut as they walked out.
The castle grounds were eerily quiet as they paced along. A slight fog settled over them, mist in heavy tow, and Draco wiped the dampness from his face. The Forbidden Forest loomed into view quite suddenly, but they ignored its foreboding presence and continued.
Draco stopped short abruptly. Ahead of him he could see the same tree he had been leaning against before he'd attempted to drown himself. He suppressed a shudder and closed his eyes briefly, before opening them and looking around again.
"She's not here." Theodore said, stating the obvious. "Does this mean we go?"
"She's here." Pansy disagreed. "You can sense it." And it was true. Not a sound penetrated the stillness they were in, and not a breeze stirred up the plants. A soft cooing had them all looking up. In the branches of a tall fir tree, a bird was stirring.
It looked down at them as though judging them, before vaulting off the branch it was perched on. Pansy stifled a gasp; it was a totally, ebony-black dove. The dove flew down headfirst and at such an alarming speed, it looked as though it was going to crash. But then, at the last second, it veered upward a little. The spindly legs became dainty feet enclosed in black, knee-high, dragonhide boots. The plump body became a slim one, and the round head became a sharp, beautiful face.
Tynan smiled as she approached the children, dressed in something reminiscent of a tunic and leggings. "Hello, Draconis and company!" she frowned a little, though, as she stopped just in front of them. "There should be a third. Blaise?"
"Missing." Draco said coolly. "He's covering for us; I took your hint about Severus quite seriously." Tynan cocked her head to the side, and Draco tried hard not to shudder as the relentless ice blue eyes bored into him.
"Is that so?" Draco didn't move, and she seemed to accept this. She skimmed over his body, smiling delightedly as she saw he was physically fit. Tynan glanced at Theodore, whom she could tell was struggling not to fall in love with her right there, and Pansy.
"Is she your girlfriend?" The question caught Draco off-guard.
"What?"
"Your girlfriend," Tynan said sweetly, nodding to Pansy. "Is she it?" Pansy's expression became dark, but Draco gave her a discreet motion behind his back warning her to stay quiet.
"No, she's not. I'm still single."
"Pity," Tynan said, as she moved closer. "It seems like every girl in the school would be after you, wouldn't they?"
"And they are." Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Every one of them, even the Gryffindors. It's quite annoying, really."
Tynan got straight to the point. "How would you like to leave them behind?"
"I don't see your point."
"Leave, Draco. Leave this school, with me." She was now close enough to lift and finger and trail it down his face, but he showed no emotion. "What reason would you have to stay? I have big plans for you, dearest."
"Leave?" Draco repeated. Outside, he was still the calm, cool, untouchable Malfoy. Inside, though, his heart was racing, and although he was thinking of his friends, teachers and studies, one name superimposed all these.
Harry…
Harry
Harry…"Draconis?"
Draco shook himself, and found Tynan to be peering at him strangely. Before he could say a word, she started up again. "Of course, Draco, I know all about your Urian side. I suppose you've found your mate?"
The blonde had no choice but to nod. Tynan smiled at him, but it still didn't reach her eyes. She reached out a dainty hand, placing it on his chest, just on his heart.
"Of course, we could take your mate with you. But we've got to find them, hadn't we?" Draco suddenly found his mouth dry, and he was unable to move or speak. Tynan's face betrayed nothing as she pressed her palm harder against her nephew's body.
Then, unexpectedly, a blue mist escaped from under her outspread fingers. The tendrils curled up and around Draco's face for a moment, feeling his features as though memorizing them, before pulling back sharply. The young Malfoy collapsed on his knees, breathing raggedly. He felt as though his whole heart had been torn out.
"Or," Tynan said, twirling the ball of blue mist on her index finger, "We could simply take that love away. I had a mate too, darling. I had to do that same little treatment to be rid of him."
Draco didn't answer; he couldn't have. His whole lungs felt as though they were caving in, and he felt achingly empty. Vaguely, he could hear Pansy and Theo shouting something and running to his defense. Tynan's eyes were hooded, but her other hand shot up, pointer finger in their direction. Draco only heard the thuds, and nothing else.
"You can get new friends." His aunt said, her voice cracking slightly. "Oh, Gods, these are so tiring. Draconis, get up so that we may leave."
Instead, the Slytherin blacked out.
From nearly twenty feet away, Harry and Blaise were watching the scene with wide-open eyes. Harry had started for Draco as soon as the blue mist had started up, but Blaise held him back. Now the Boy-Who-Lived was absolutely livid.
"She's hurt him! He's knocked out!" Harry hissed, attempting to run into the clearing, but Blaise held him back.
"Listen to me, did you see what she did to Pansy and Theo without a wand?" Harry winced as he caught a glance of the motionless bodies, both having slammed into tree trunks. "She can do that to you just as easily; and you're Harry Potter! The Boy-Who-Lived! She'd kill you sooner than think what would happen to Draco!"
Harry was quiet for a moment, and he ceased his struggles. His head was bent low, and Blaise had to strain as the boy spoke. "He needs that mist to be back inside of him. Can we help?"
"We'd need Dumbledore. This is crazy…" Blaise sighed. "We have to hold her off. Doubtless, your friends are already looking for you, and so are the Slytherins."
Harry suspected Snape may have had something to do with the whole thing, but he didn't say a word, as they were still using the Potions Master in the spying field. "We have to find a way to alert Dumbledore and get him out here, fast."
"Attack the barriers," Blaise suggested. "Throw a few good hexes at them and something will happen. But we need to distract Tynan too."
Harry's mouth became a grim, tight line. "Leave that to me."
Tynan sniffed in disgust as she walked closer to Draco's still form and bent down. "Pathetic. Couldn't even protect himself…must work harder than I thought, then." The blue ball, she held in one hand as she straightened up.
"Time to get rid of this!" A smile made its way across her face as she held up her hand, preparing to crush the ball.
Pansy stirred and opened her eyes, groaning a little. She gasped a little as she stood up, leaning against the tree she had hit, and looked over at Tynan.
"Get away from Draco!" the raven-haired girl said spitefully.
Tynan shook her head. "You silly, silly girl. Are you angrier because I've taken away Draco's ladylove? Or your boy toy?" she inclined her head towards the still unconscious Theodore, and Pansy took a step forward, shaking her fist.
"You—you evil whore!"
Tynan's eyes narrowed. "Evil, I can take. But to call me a whore? That's going a bit far, darling. From what I've heard of you, your reputation isn't all that great either."
Pansy made a rude gesture with one of her fingers, and as Tynan's face rapidly colored, the girl Slytherin suddenly knew this was probably her last moment. She fell to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut as she prepared to accept her death.
—But it never came. Pansy opened her eyes, and gasped.
Harry, after Blaise had slipped away, was watching for an opening, and now was a good time as any. He sprinted from his hiding spot, and Tynan barely had time to look for the disturbance when he knocked her down. When she could open her eyes again, Harry was breathing heavily, and had his wand at her throat. In his other hand, he held the mist ball.
"Funny, isn't it, when the advantage's on the other hand?" Harry told her.
Tynan smiled back at him. "Funny is when you worship the Dark Lord, walk into a Muggle Catholic Church expecting to make fun of them, and then find out you're not so different after all."
Harry blinked, mission momentarily forgotten. "You're crazy."
"I know, aren't I beautiful?" Tynan flicked at him lightly on the nose, and while he colored her gaze traveled up to his scar. "Ooh, Harry Potter is straddling me!"
"What!"
The blonde giggled. "Well then, Mr. Potter, take me, take me!" she waggled her eyebrows at him and he poked her jugular in disgust.
"Shut up!" He looked up; Pansy already limping towards him, and he held out the ball of mist. "Put that back inside of Draco, and be careful with it!" Pansy nodded, carefully taking the ball and smirking triumphantly at the older woman before hurrying towards Draco.
Harry turned back to Tynan, only to find her watching him thoughtfully. "You know, I'm not stupid." She said suddenly. "You've got his mark on your neck."
Harry's hand automatically shot up to cover the two spots on his neck, blushing furiously and attempting to stay angry with her (which, although he was quite gay, became very hard with her looks (and she knew it)).
"So, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter," the blond drawled. "Actually, not surprising." She giggled. "Listen to this! You two barely know each other and you're already necking (1)!"
Harry, by now thoroughly frightened of this woman (and properly so) jumped backwards as soon as he looked back and saw the blue mist floating round Draco's body again. In the process, Tynan stood so quickly he wasn't sure she moved. She beamed at him, looking very much like a child in the process.
"I'm going to make you an offer. Call off your dog," she pointed at Pansy, "And I'll take Draco and you. It's very nice, actually, on the Dark side. The Light side makes me sun burnt."
Harry pointed his wand levelly at her, eyes cold. "You can take that offer and shove it up your—" He stopped, gulping as he found a wisp of blond hair to be tickling the nape of his neck. Harry didn't dare move as Tynan whispered in his ear from her abrupt position change to behind him.
"Don't finish that sentence. It won't be good for you, although I've already decided I'm going to kill you." Her voice held not even its full extent of malevolence, but Harry shivered even so. He was suddenly painfully aware of the grip she had on his arm as she spun him around to face her.
Up close and with such a terrible expression of anger on her face, the great beauty was still a beauty, but one that struck fear very easily into the hearts of others.
"So, Harry," she sneered. "My nephew is your mate? Your love? Your Intended?" Harry found he couldn't move, but his hand tightened around his wand. Tynan didn't miss the movement, and she laughed, the high-pitched giggle of the obviously insane.
"Harry, dearest, don't tell me you're attempting to get at me? I am only trying to protect Draconis, and you, my dear, are one of the most powerful dangers around. He is a Malfoy, after all; would such a romance even work?"
"You shouldn't be talking," Harry whispered, wondering frantically where Blaise was, and if Pansy was seeing any of this. His question was answered by the faint crackling of leaves, and Tynan's other hand shot behind her. A faint gargle was heard, and then nothing else. Harry couldn't even move to see what happened.
Tynan continued as though nothing had happened. "He will use you, Harry, and to the fullest extent of his being. He has no true interest in you, and I hope you remember that. How is one little fling going to affect sixteen years of daily life?"
"I am not a fling!" Harry said, more just to protest than actually believing it. Draco's aunt did not miss it, as her grip tightened on his arm and her eyes became mere slits. There was a mad light in them, still, and Harry was struck with the sudden realization that Bellatrix Lestrange had nothing on Tynan Malfoy.
"Did you ever ask, Mr. Potter," she whispered. "Who it was that was in the house when your parents were dying? Voldemort may have killed them, but someone could have—toyed with a few things afterwards."
Harry stiffened, and his eyes grew wide even as his face paled. Tynan smirked; satisfied to see her point had gotten through. "Oh, yes, Harry. You may have had those dreams, but you were only a babe. You didn't see everything, did you? James Potter was such a handsome man…pity he married such a wench."
"Don't…don't!" Harry stuttered, suddenly feeling exhausted, but the woman didn't pay him any mind.
"Yes, the Dark Lord screamed the Avada. Yes, James Potter nearly died. Nearly. I am more powerful that you think, Mr. Potter." She brought her face closer to his, tittering a little. "How is it, Mr. Potter, that the attack was not heard about until hours after Lily and James Potter had died? I can do many marvelous things, Harry."
She held up her other hand, palm forward, and blinked. Her palm seemed to merge, and then, in that instant, Harry saw his parents quite clearly, cowering in fear in the corner of their house. Laughter echoed raucously in his mind, the same laughter he was hearing even now, and then he was stumbling backwards, shaking his head.
"Leave him alone!" Someone shouted. Harry didn't have to look up to see it was the newly awakened Draco, but he did so anyway. The blonde Slytherin was very much furious; sparks were literally flying from his body, and his wings had appeared, spreading behind his head in a fearsome figure. Pansy was kneeling, wide-eyed, and rubbing at her throat as though she couldn't breath. Draco touched her shoulder with his wand, and a soft white light emanated from it. She gave a gasp of relief before collapsing.
Harry, however, was soon distracted. Tynan was blowing on the palm of her hand, and she smiled wickedly at him. "If I could do it once, Harry, I could do it again!" The Gryffindor watched in horrified fascination as the back of her shirt tore open, and two ebony-black wings even bigger than Draco's became visible.
Draco was already at his side. "Are you ok?" The blonde muttered from the corner of his mouth, eyes still on his aunt. Harry was looking at Tynan with a fixed expression of terror and joy on his face.
"She brought my parents back to life." He whispered.
Draco, startled by this comment, turned his head slightly. It was all Tynan needed. With a wild and breathless laugh, she held out both of her palms and shouted, "Exanimo!"
Twin whirlwinds grew from her palms, bursting forth at the exact same moment and joining quickly into one, roaring monster. Neither boy had a chance to even bat an eyelash as the wind overtook them, throwing them farther into the forest.
"Harry!" Draco screamed. "Hold onto me!"
The raven-haired boy squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head. Perplexed, the blonde nearly let the wind sweep him away, but then a new determination overtook him. He used his wings and the wind to take a sudden forward leap, and grabbed Harry round the waist so that his chin was resting on the other boy's head.
The Urian in him awoke, and began a fierce battle to protect his mate. The winds were bent as much as they could go, slowing them down as best he could, but his powers were still undeveloped. By this time, Harry had gotten over whatever distress was holding him and turned over in midair. His eyes grew wide.
"There's a tree!" he cried. Draco locked eyes with him, suddenly very much fearful. The Gryffindor was still in shock and he didn't need to see this. Draco already knew what was about to happen…he didn't think Harry needed to either.
Without stopping to think, he captured Harry's lips in a searing kiss, sufficiently distracting the other boy.
I'm so sorry…
For what?
Draco's eyes shot open in surprise, and he broke away, but it was too late. The Slytherin's body connected with the tree trunk with a sickening crunch, and he slid down its length. Harry's body was cushioned by the one of the Urian's, and he groaned a little as he fell back. His leg was definitely broken.
"Mal—Draco?" he murmured. There was no reply, and he shot upwards.
Draco Malfoy was lying at the roots of the tree, a thin trickle of blood coming from his mouth. His fangs were now visible, the magic maintaining the charm having been abruptly gone, and they had apparently pierced his lip. What frightened Harry, however, was the frightening amount of blood coming from Draco's left arm.
He crawled over to the other boy and cradled the arm in his lap. Harry ripped the sleeve from Draco's dress robes and bound the arm as tightly as he could. A sudden sob ripped through his throat as he succumbed to the hopelessness of the situation, and he laid his head against the Slytherin's chest with only one thought running through his mind.
He had never seen so much blood in his entire life…
(1) Ok, this is from a v.v. cool review from Master Elora Dannan, which made me laugh a lot and spill stuff.
Partypartyparty...ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh, ze parties...
Here is my excuse (which will probably not be read, but nyeh): I was at a party Friday night. Before the party, I typed this up at Mai-chan's house. She has a younger brother AND sister (hahahahaha) and they were getting on our nerves, so I sort of just uploaded this and we left for the party early.
On the plus side, I DID NOT GET DRUNK. Because no one spiked the drinks, but w/e.
Bonzai and luff to: xxaishiteru (END? Dahling, I am just beginning the damn thing!), Master Elora Dannan (See! It's your quote! Yaaaaaaaaahhhhh!) Yana 5, themaraudersaremine (D'you think I should kill off Draco? He's making Harry look TOO good.) firefairy42, DestinyEntwinements, Danish Pastry 28, MagicChic82 (Next chapter, interactions, I SWEAR!) DreamingSensations, MidnightsRose, Shania Maxwell, I Paint My Nails Black
