DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 27 – Curiosity Portkeyed the Panther
Draco shivered and pulled his cloak closer to his body, his eyes resting on the welcoming doors into the massive castle. A quick movement caught his eyes and he watched the panther stalking silently ahead of him. With a light bound the black panther landed neatly at the top of the steps, its green eyes flashing as it turned to peer back at him.
"I'm coming." Draco grumbled, eyes narrowing as the panthers tail lashed impatiently. The panther yowled unhappily and crouched low, tail wrapping around its front paws as he waited for Draco to climb the steps. "It's not my fault your animagus doesn't like the cold." Draco climbed the steps extra slow, pausing once to tug his left mitten back into place, his obvious procrastination earned him a deep rolling growl. Opening the doors he sighed at the warm blast of heat that immediately enveloped them. Luxuriating in the warmth, both stood there with their eyes closed and allowed the last remains of the cold to leave them. He slipped the mittens from his hands and tucked them into the pocket of the dark cloak.
"Draco!"
Turning his head, he watched the slow approach of Blaise. His fingers loosed the ties of the cloak, allowing it to slide slowly off his shoulders. The dark fabric was caught and carefully thrown across his arm.
"Hey Damian, Harry…whatever you're calling yourself these days." Blaise said cheerfully, one hand giving the panther a companionable pat on the head. The panther responded with a deep throbbing purr, whiskers and ears twitching in silent laughter. Blaise looked back to Draco and his whole demeanor changed. "How did it go?" He asked softly.
"Surprisingly well. As you can see I'm in one piece, not a rip or werewolf drool anywhere." Draco pointed out, hands gesturing at the neat and still pristine clothes he wore.
"That's excellent." Blaise murmured, eyes watching the panther as it paced back and forth before them.
"Where are you off to?" Draco asked, one hand catching the panther and dragging him close. Long fingers gently massaged velvet ears as he waited for Blaise's response.
"I was actually headed to the library," Blaise raised the book he held lightly in one hand. "Granger's agreed to assist me on my Ancient Runes assignment." One pale eyebrow slid up slowly. The panther revealed the deadly claws on all four paws, rumbling in warning as his tail flicked in silent reminder.
"I believe that Harry is warning you to be careful. Remember she's supposedly going out with the Weasel still. Neither of us wants to see you get hurt over something so stupid as Granger." Draco said, fingers clenching around the panther's ear to prevent the panther from nipping him. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. After the Weasel's last stunt, I really don't want to see anyone else injured." He explained, pinning the panther's head against his abdomen. The cat stopped thrashing but rumbled slightly. Letting the panther go, Draco turned back to Blaise.
"I'm not that bad. Plus I'm a Slytherin. It's not like I go throwing myself into danger every chance I get. Gryffindor trait, remember?" Blaise protested, eyes watching the play between the two.
"Right. Well I'm off to get some work done. We'll see you at dinner?" Draco questioned, his eyes following the panther as it glided down one of the halls and paused at the top of the stairs into the dungeons. Emerald eyes met blue before the panther gathered itself then leapt, vanishing into the darkness of the shadowed stairs.
"Sure." Blaise called as he backed away from Draco, one hand waving. "Oh, and Snape is looking for you so you might want to stop at his quarters and see what he wants." With a last wave, he vanished around a corner.
"Great. I spend my full day with a werewolf and now I have to go and spend several more minutes in the company of my godfather. Will my pain and suffering never end?" Draco questioned, casting his eyes towards the ceiling. Sighing, he moved slowly towards the stairs Damian had disappeared down.
Pansy perched in the center of her bed, the emerald and silver curtains had been pulled closed, preventing anyone from realizing she was in the dorm. Her hands fiddled with the delicate gold and sapphire necklace she'd snatched from one of the trunks in Draco's room. As far as she was concerned she had every right to it, those two had thoroughly ruined her reputation, if anything she deserved a bit of compensation. It was a magnificent little trinket, an obvious sign of love.
She bit her lip as she heard voices calling back and forth downstairs. This would be it. Draco would go into his room and see the little box, pick it up, and then find himself in a cell somewhere. She snickered to herself; something was finally going right in her life. Slipping off the bed, she rummaged through a small trunk, fingers finding and discarding various shaped bottles. Pansy sighed in pleasure as she felt the sloped bottleneck resting beneath her palm. Withdrawing the small bottle of champagne, she neatly pulled the cork and raised the bottle in a silent toast. Her brilliance and beauty would have her rising in the ranks of the Death Eaters in no time. The fist sip of champagne slid down her throat soothingly. She paused with the bottle to her mouth, ears picking up the name that was being called. Taking a long swig, she began to choke as someone said 'hi Harry'. Gasping for breath she whimpered in horror, Harry not Draco. She had failed. The cork was slid back into the bottle with numb fingers. Perhaps she had needed an accomplice.
Damian floated through the darkness before his paws caught him neatly. His senses working carefully to pick up any threat as he moved closer to the Slytherin dorms. He paused when a strange scent caught his nose and paused before the hidden entrance into Severus' private chambers. His whiskers twitched as he attempted to recall where he had last caught that scent. The drone of voices was too muted by the thick stone for him to really be able to hear properly. Flashing his fangs at the wall, he returned to his silent patrol.
The wall into the Slytherin dorms slid open before him. It had taken only a scratch and a growl before someone had come to let him in. He could have changed back but the most recent smell of danger had him wanting a little extra protection. Stopping in the center of the dorm, his senses spread out but found nothing out of place. There were no new or strange smells in this room. He bobbed his head as several students greeted him and purred a response that sent them into giggles.
His magic reached out and coiled along the bond, finding that it seemed closer then usual. The amount of power it took to make and maintain contact with Draco was smaller then it used to be. Frowning over his discovery, he slid his mind along the bond, allowing Draco to feel his presence while he reassured himself that his mate was fine. The bond leapt beneath his touch, coiling tighter and surging under his ministrations. Drawing back, he felt the bond return to its usual restful state. Shaking the feeling off, he trotted over to the room he shared with Draco and froze, ears pinned against his skull as his eyes narrowed. The door smelled off. Growling softly he raised a paw and rested it gently on the wood. Magic swirled as the door acknowledged him and released, allowing him to pass into the room.
Slinking around the door, he halted and dropped low. Everything panther in him yelled threat, demanding he take immediate precautions. The panther snarled at the room, eyes searching for any detail that might assist in locating a threat. A strange smell coiled along his whiskers, teasing him as he tried to place the scent. Prowling around the room, he stopped next to the bed when the smell intensified. Emerald eyes caught sight of something small resting in the center of the bed. A paw rose slowly but was withdrawn as the massive cat walked around the bed. Reversing direction he began a silent stalk, eye focused on the little box. Muscles bunched as the panther paused before leaping suddenly, fangs and claws tearing into what it saw as a threat. The strong smell of lavender filled his muzzle as his fangs were buried in the package. There was only one person in Slytherin who wore that particular perfume. For one moment it seemed everything was fine but with sharp twist and a loud pop, Damian vanished in a flash.
Draco walked slowly towards his godfather's chambers, pausing next to the door when he heard raised voices breaching the thick wood. His stupor was broken when a tug on the bond drew his attention inwards. He felt Harry glide into his mind and run his magic over the bond before fading into the backward murmur of his thoughts. Shaking the feeling off, he knocked lightly on the door. The ringing voices halted immediately and there was a pause before the door swung open. Draco opened his mouth but shut it firmly when the older wizard grabbed him and pulled him into the dark room.
"Severus, quit tugging." He demanded, shrugging away from his godfather's touch and straightening his robes angrily.
"Draco, respect your elders." The cold hiss had had him gasping and searching the shadows frantically. His pale orbs met an equally icy pair as he gazed into his fathers face.
"Father." Draco whispered.
"Draco, please have a seat." Severus murmured, hands steering Draco towards a plush chair sitting next to the fire. Draco allowed himself to be pushed but his eyes never left the cold face of his father. "Your father and I have been talking and felt that you should be privy to what's going on."
"Whatever he's up to I want nothing to do with." Draco growled, seating himself and locking his hands around the chairs arms. Eyes narrowing on his fathers as the older man shifted in his chair and tapped his cane impatiently on the floor.
"It concerns Harry's safety." Snape muttered, heading towards the small kitchen area only to return a few seconds later with a teapot and several cups floating along behind him.
"What's the matter with his safety?" Draco snarled, eyes seeming to glow for a moment as he curled one lip in the direction of his father. Severus pushed a steaming cup into his hand before collapsing in the chair across from Lucius.
"Well, not so much his safety as yours. You see, the Dark Lord has a plan to portkey you to his headquarters and lure Harry into trying to rescue you. It's completely crazy but the chances are high that something will go wrong." Severus stated, slowly swirling a spoon through his tea. Draco's mouth fell open in shock. His eyes locked on his fathers face.
"What?" He spluttered, trying to wrap, his mind around the information he had just been given.
"HE has enlisted the aid of another student. The Parkinson girl if I'm not mistaken." Lucius snarled, eyes holding Draco's as the pair faced off.
"Since when have you cared about Harry or I?" Draco demanded, completely ignoring his godfather's efforts to calm him down.
"I do not care for that Potter boy. You, however, are expected to carry the Malfoy name into the future. Which you cannot do bound to a person who will most likely die within the next few days." Lucius answered, peering into the teacup resting in his hand before taking a delicate sip.
"Your father and I believe it would be for the best if you allowed us to transfer the bond between you and Harry to another place for a few days. Just until we find out what exactly is going on." Severus announced calmly, eyes darting back and forth between the feuding pair.
"Never!" Roared Draco. The teacup smashed against the far wall. A cooling line of tea sprinkled across the floor and over several books sitting about.
"Calm down. The bond will be replaced as soon as everything is over and taken care of. All we'll do is place it somewhere safe." Severus tried to reason with Draco but Draco was having none of it.
"Neither of you will touch the bond. It is going to remain right where it is. There will be no transferring or switching do you understand?" Draco snarled in anger, eyes flashing at the pair. A small wind twisted through the room, sweeping several loose papers from a pile and spreading them across the room. The blazing fire leapt and crackled, tendrils of smoke seeping from the hearth and coiling about the ankles of the two wizards.
"Control yourself!" Lucius roared, pulling his wand and waving it at the smoke only to have it coil around the wood and pull his hand closer to the fire.
"Do. You. Understand?" Draco repeated softly, rising and brushing his robes free of imaginary dust. The small wind pulled at his robes as he glided slowly towards the door.
"Yes!" Severus shrieked, darks eyes widening as the smoke dragged the edge of his robe closer to the hungry fire. Draco shifted his gaze to his father who was staring at the smoke in fascination as it drew his wand closer to the crackling flames.
"I will not repeat myself." Draco hissed, watching in delight, as Lucius Malfoy was pulled closer to the burning embers. Pale eyes met and locked as the pair faced off.
"Understood." Lucius gritted out, watching the satisfied smile creep across his sons face. Draco pushed the entrance open and walked into the hall. Leaning back against the door as he closed his eyes relief. Now that that was taken care of he should find Harry and give him a heads up. Without thought his mind reached out and searched for Harry's magic. The bond was still, like it was resting and preparing itself for something. Calling Harry he waited patiently but received no response. Frowning, he headed towards the Slytherin dorms and entered.
"Draco."
"Blaise, back already?" Draco asked, grinning slightly.
"No, I came to get my Defense Against the Dark Arts books. You should come with me, I'm done my Ancient Runes and I actually think I did it right." Blaise stated proudly.
"Great, have you seen Harry?" Draco muttered, eyes locked on the door into his room as his magic searched for Harry.
"Nope. Perhaps he's up with the Gryffindors." Suggested Blaise, pounding up the stairs towards his rooms. Draco nodded before pushing into his room and looking around. The bed was rumpled and had a slight rip in one spot.
"Harry? Damian?" He called, eyes searching and looking over the ruined blankets. He called mentally again but received no response. A sense of fear crept through him as his magic writhed suddenly bringing the bond humming to life. The realization of what was going on hit him hard: Harry wasn't in the castle anymore.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review. I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day Weekend. Thanks again.
Dreaming-Sensations – Basically a transfer would mean that small part of Harry's magic would be placed somewhere else, the bond wouldn't be broken but merely set aside for a while.
Ash of Mine – Pansy shall vanish very soon.
ToyoKadiyaMikayla – Yep, Lucius is trying to save his only heir. The bond is something really new; due to the number of binds forming it's kind of become a super bond.
Elentari Elbereth – I believe both of your questions were answered in this chapter. Also, wonderful work on the translation.
sbkar – Hope your long weekend was fun! lol, and I think it would take something a bit bigger then a switch to beat some sense into those two, after all they are men.
kikasspunk93 – If I do happen to have the bond transferred, there will no damage to either of the boys.
DestinyEntwinements – I'm sure you now know what was in the box, and the necklace was a never mentioned gift from Harry to Draco…or something like that.