A/N: Extremely tired…tried hard to writ the chapter, hope it's okay, please review, thanks! Read the end notes they are VERY IMPORTANT. I hope the beginning of the chapter clears up a little bit of the mystery around the factory, it if doesn't sorry. Everything will become clear in the end. This is a shorter chapter then I wanted it to be, but it focus' on the characters. Yupp, that's it.
For the first time in my life I wasn't at all cold. At home, it was always cold. The blankets all had holes in them and the fireplace never seemed to heat my skin. Wrapped in that boy's toasty warm coat, I smiled. It felt good to be warm.
After a while of riding in that sleek Limo with that fur coat around me I became aware that I had no idea where we were going. "Where are we going?" I asked with wide mildly confused eyes.
He looked down at me and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Because you really do have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen," He saw completely awestruck. He gently cupped my chin and tilted my eyes so they met his. His eyes were not cold, unreadable ice…they glimmered with sparks of laughter and warmth. Now his eyes exuded heat and warmth, it confused me how quickly his eyes could go from a chunk of ice to a burning fire.
I just looked up into his eyes, a tiny smile twisting at me own lips. "Are we going home?"
He drew away from me and glanced out the window at the grey sky. "I'm afraid not." He pulled away from me so he was completely on the other side of the seat…and I felt cold again. I scooted carefully over to him and pressed my face against the glass next to his.
"What're you looking at?"
"The sky," He responded simply, a smile flourishing on his lips.
I scrutinized the grey sky, searching for the object that he himself had been so intently looking for. "I don't see anything…"
"It's a pity that the sky isn't brilliant and blue today." The blonde remarked sadly.
I shook my head and looked at him with wide passionate eyes, "It's brilliant today too!" I argued. "See! Look at how pretty the snow is! It sparkles against the grey, if it were a blue sky you would hardly notice how sparkly the snow is!"
Draco laughed and looked back up at the sky. But the warmth in his eyes died so quickly that it yanked my heart. "I'm glad you like it, take a good look at it…and don't ever forget it."
"Why are you so sad?" I asked bluntly. I scooted even closer to him and jabbed my face into his accusingly. He looked deeply into my eyes and I think he was shocked because he pulled away. Those blue eyes glanced back at the sky and then he shifted his gaze to me again.
"…Because, I'm giving up something that's very precious to me, in order to help my fathers' company." The boy said his voice thick and choked.
"Well that's not right!" I growled loudly. "If you find something precious to you, then you can never let it go! That's what my mom always tells me."
"But I don't have a choice…" The boy sighed.
"You always have a choice! If this thing's precious to you then don't give it up, especially if you don't even want to!" I argued heatedly.
IHe laughed sadly and ran his slender fingers through my hair. "It's part of the promise my father made, Harry. He made a promise he couldn't keep…and now I have to keep it for him."
"Then your father's a coward, only a coward goes back on his word." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared into those icy blue eyes.
"I suppose he is," The boy mused.
"So what's this precious thing that you have to give up? Is it a tv or money?" I asked sadly.
Once again he laughed at me, "No, those things aren't precious…money is easy enough to find…but what I have to give up is…it's something that shimmers far more brightly then any jewel, and sparkles brighter then the snow on the gray sky."
My eyes were wide and shining with anticipation, "Oh tell me! What is it?"
"You'll see…" He whispered dejectedly, "You'll see…"
Suddenly the limo pulled to a stop I glanced around fearfully, but the boy carefully tucked me under his arm and slipped out of the limo. I clung to him almost desperately. "Aren't you cold?" I asked.
"No,"
I didn't say anything else, I simply stayed at his side and basked in his warmth. I looked ahead of us and saw we were walking through the gates into a large factory. I marveled at it for a moment before a huge door swung open.
We walked inside a huge white marble tunnel with a curved roof and windows letting in the grey glare from the sunlight outside. It looked grim and dark, I shivered involuntarily.
"I'm scared,"
The boy said nothing, but his eyes hardened in pain. I drew in a sharp breath, he was scared too. I buried myself further into the thick coat and walked closer to him. His hand tightened reassuringly on my shoulder and I let my own hand settle atop his on my shoulder.
We walked down the tunnel until we reached a point where the hallway branched out in three directions. The blonde paused and with some pain turned to the farthest Hall. I could hardly see a few meters into it before it got dark and I shivered fearfully.
"I don't want to go down there," I insisted shrilly.
"I don't either…"
"Then let's go somewhere else!" I protested.
"I don't have a choice…" He whispered in a pained voice, "I wish I could save you…save you from all the pain that I'll cause you."
"You don't have too cause me any pain!" I whispered, staring up into his eyes intensely. "Never let the precious things go, because you'll never find them again."
"I don't believe that," He growled indignantly. He started to move into the darkness and then he stopped, just at the edge of it.
"Tell me, what is this precious thing?" I snarled.
"My precious thing is you," He said with a sad smile.
"But you just met me!"
"It doesn't matter. The second I saw your eyes…I knew, I knew I'd found my shining thing…just like they said I would."
I fixed my gaze on the floor and sniffled angrily, "So you're giving me to them?"
"No," the boy laughed remorsefully, "I'm giving up my soul…but then I'll die without my soul, so I'll never get to see m shining thing again…"
"No!" I yelled, "No! They can't! They can't take your soul! They'll kill you!"
"My father promised them his soul, in exchange for our company to flourish…but you see he never gave them his soul. So the burden falls on me."
"But…I don't want you to die!" I hissed, "There's gotta be something we can do!"
"I will not go back on my fathers' word, Harry." He said, locking those brilliant blue eyes with mine, "I am not a coward."
I nodded stiffly, "Fine, then let's go," I took a bold step into the shadow and I started to tremble. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I clung tightly to Draco's hand.
"No! Harry run, you don't have to stay anymore…I've confessed to you that I must give you up. Now it's my time to die." He insisted, pulling me away from the shadow.
"No." I told him angrily. "I'm not leaving you to die…I'll figure something out! But I'm not letting you go alone."
He smiled sadly at me and I grinned as brilliantly as I could at him. "Together?" He asked, he was hesitant, as if I'd say no. But I kept smiling at him.
"Forever and ever."
"Harry…." A voice drawled, cutting sharply into my dream.
"Harrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
The voice was now a loud wine. I growled and swatted the area around
my head, rolling over onto my side.
"Fuck off," I groaned,
burying my face under my pillow.
Suddenly the covers were ripped from my body and I yelped. I finally opened one eye to see Draco lying on my chest grinning at me with his cat-ate-the-canary smile.
"What canary did you gobble up, you bastard," I groaned, trying to shove him off me. But unfortunately being almost half a foot taller and at least fifty pounds heavier, the smug bastard didn't move an inch.
"Harry, don't you remember? Today's the big day!" Draco snickered. I realized that he was fully dressed and I gasped.
"They're coming into the factory today! At nine! Oh shit what time is it!" I yelped, vainly attempting to find an alarm clock.
"Eight fifty three," Draco said calmly.
"Eight fifty three!" I yelled, "Draco get offa me! I gotta get dressed! Oh shit what am I going to wear!"
"I've got that all figure out." The blonde above me grinned with a frightening glint in his eye. I paled and looked around, and then I saw it. It was startling akin to the suit I had worn to the candy convention form hell, except this suit was even worse. The jacket part was only a vest, double breasted with silver buttons. The pants looked like some sort of velvet/spandex material that were cut in the shape of bellbottoms. The whole ensemble was green with silver touches here and there.
"…You're joking right?" I sighed. "Draco please tell me your joking!"
"Well you did agree to it…"
"I agreed to a boa and a pimp hat!" I protested loudly, punching his arm.
"Oh I decided to let the boa go," Draco snickered, he jerked his head towards a chair were a pair of long gloves in the same green velvet material as the suit lay waiting. A green pimp hat was perched on the chair above the gloves, mocking me.
"Draco that's insane! I'd look like I was in drag or something!" I hissed. "That outfit is so flaming gay!"
"Harry, love, you're lying in bed with a man…" Draco laughed, "The politically correct term for men like that is gay."
"I like girls too!" I shouted. "You bastard! You sick twisted, pervert!"
"Didn't I tell you before that I prefer sensualist?" The blonde whispered huskily. His breath was hot against my ear, a shiver ran down my spine. He smirked and let his tongue gently trace the outside of my ear.
"Bastard!"
"Mm hmm. Now Harry you have five minutes to get dressed and get down to the front gate to meet our guests." He whispered. I growled, shouted, beat his arms, and finally fell back onto the bed. Draco smirked at me, chin resting on my chest. "Come on, it'll look cute on you."
"I hate you so much right now." I snarled.
He shifted so I could slide out from under him. I stormed over to the clothes and started to unbutton my pajama top. I felt his eyes hot and heavy on my back and a small growl escaped my throat. I whirled and shouted, "Would you turn around or something."
Draco was lying on his side in all his sex-alicious glory, smirking at me. He was wearing the same black tuxedo he'd worn to the candy convention and damn it looked even better on him, if that was possible. "Why should I?"
"Because it's polite!" I hissed. I wanted to run over there and beat the crap out of him…even knowing I'd end up being the one who got the crap beat out of them. Sometimes I wish Draco were my size…then I remember that a shorter Draco would definitely not be as sexy.
"If you haven' noticed we are sleeping together," Draco smirked. "Lover."
"Fuck you!"
"I'd like to, but you never let me." Draco hissed.
I felt my cheeks burn and I gathered all the clothes in my arms. I was careful to keep my eyes on the floor, I think my eyes were watering. That bastard always had to push it, he always pushed it. And today he pushed too far.
"Harry-" Draco sighed. He sounded like it was a chore to even call out to me. It made me angrier and the feeling of betrayal and hurt grew in me, tugging harshly at my chest.
"Harry!" Draco yelled, now there was an ounce of caring in his voice, but I didn't want to look at him, I didn't want to see his brilliant blue eyes, mocking me. I stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.
I felt tears running down my cheeks and fall onto the cold tile floor. I rubbed my eyes harshly and changed quickly into the clothes. Now I got the picture, he didn't actually care about me, all he cared about was how I looked.
I glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror and barely resisted the urge to smash the disgusting creature that looked back at me.
Those big emerald eyes, those awful eyes. No respectable man had such big, thickly lashed eyes. They were two green, to bright, to…unique. They were hooker eyes, as my mother had so eloquently put it.
A tear trickled down my cheek as I thought of her. I thought of the good old days when she was still so beautiful…when she'd give me a kiss and drop me off at school and the hustle off to work. For years we never spoke of the place she went during the days and long into the night. She called it her, 'special job'. I didn't understand what that meant until I was around thirteen.
It was a common fact in the slums that the hookers hung out on Cherry Street. It seemed like such a nice innocent name, it hardly implied that scantily clad women paraded themselves there. One evening a group of friends and I decided to venture over to Cherry Street and check it out.
We ogled and hooted and hollered and had a merry old time. Until I spotted a patch of light in all that darkness, a burning red head. She was leaning on a brick wall speaking to a sleazy looking man. I didn't want to think it was her…I knew it couldn't be her…Until those brilliant green eyes, that my own eyes were the carbon copy off, latched onto mine. She started to cry softly when she saw me. My mothter looped her arm through his walked off, her shoulder trembling slightly. There was no question in my mind, no doubt of what my mother's 'special job' was.
I left and I walked home. I made dinner, sat down at the table, and then waited for her to return. She returned around midnight, disheveled and wearing a long unbuttoned black coat over her whorish clothes.
I felt like I was the parent, waiting for my ignorant child to return home. "All these years, huh?" I asked quietly.
"It's the only way to put food on the table," She whispered softly, "I do what I have to do."
"All these years," I insisted. I was going to get a straight answer from her.
"All these years." She agreed. I looked at her, I just stared. I didn't glare or smile. I guess on the inside I was furious, furious she'd sold herself for me. I was furious she would degrade herself like that. "Don't look at me like that!" She shrieked shrilly.
"I'm not looking at you like anything."
"Don't judge me you little brat!" Her pretty voice had turned cruel and throaty. "I did all this for you! I sold myself for you!" She lashed out at me and smacked my cheek. It stung, but not nearly as much as the hatred in her eyes. "It's all I'm good for!" She sobbed, hitting me again.
She pointed at her eye and laughed manically, "It's all I was ever good for, because of these hooker eyes, you've gottem too!" Tears drizzled from her wide eyes. "You're not even good enough to be a whore," She snarled cruelly. "It's all your fault!"
"Mom stop!" I hissed.
She smacked me again, putting her whole arm into it. "If it wasn't for you then we'd be rich! If you hadn't made your father throw himself in front of that damn car! All we needed to do was give them you! And James couldn't! You killed him!" She shrieked.
"Mom," I whispered desperately.
"Don't call me that! Murderer!" She howled. She pushed me off the chair and I tumbled to the floor. I could've fought back, but I couldn't hit my own mother. She loved me…right? She kicked me, slapped me, spat on me. I think she even put her fucking cigarette out on me.
Finally she stepped back, her eyes wide and broken. "I-I-…" She was about to say she was sorry, she was about to apologize for it all, and then it would all get better. She'd hug me and kiss me and apologize. She'd get a better job and we'd be happy again. But at that time I had no idea what she was going to say, so I looked up at her.
My emerald eyes were cold as ice, betrayed, and above all, just as broken as hers. But I looked up at her with defiance and an icy apathy to her and anything she could possibly say.
Her eyes hardened and she stepped away from my crumpled form. "If you want to fucking eat make your own money."
After that day I stayed at home as little as possible, I threw myself into school, and I sold myself to men, women, whoever wanted me got me. I have hooker eyes just like her…and I guess that's all we're good for.
A loud knock on the door brought me out of my memories and I suddenly realized Draco was shouting. "Harry Potter! Harry please come out! I'm sorry!"
"Why the fuck should I care!" I snarled back. "You don't give a fuck about me."
"Of course I do!"
"No, you just think I'm some sort of sex toy like all the others," I accused angrily. "I don't think you're a sex-" he paused as the full blast of the words sunk in. "What others?" He asked. His voice was dangerously quiet, like a snake poised and ready to strike.
"Anybody who paid twenty bucks."
He couldn't say anything, I think I had actually shocked Draco Malfoy. I would've been proud if it hadn't been my severe self-abuse that shocked him so. Finally he pounded his fist violently into the door and I think the wood splintered. "So…is that really all you're worth?"
His voice wasn't smooth and flirty as it always was. His voice was raw and torn, and at some level it hurt me to hear him sound so frayed. "I guess so…nobody ever offered me more."
I heard a strangled, wordless shout escape his voice. He started to pace at the door, feet pounding into the floor. He was snarling so quietly I couldn't hear what he said, no matter how hard I tried to listen.
"Listen you stupid, insecure, idiotic ditz!" Draco shouted. "I gave up to fucking much for you to lock yourself in the bathroom and cry!"
"Fuck off!" I screamed again. I sat down on the floor, and rested my head against the wall. I tried to clear my mind when Draco's voice once again interrupted my thoughts.
"I guess you really don't get it do you?" Draco asked sadly.
"Get what!" I roared furiously.
"I should've told you…but I thought you figured it out by now," He sighed. "But now since you don't really care about what I have to say…"
I knew inside that he was going to walk away, he was going to leave me here. He was going to say 'I'm sorry.' I remembered my mother with her beautiful green eyes and her bright red hair, crying and looking down at me. She was going to say 'I'm sorry.' I stopped her. And then I lost her…forever.
"Wait!" I called weakly. "Draco tell me what! You're right I am a ditz, but please tell me what!"
"I love you."
It certainly wasn't what I had expected. I sat on the floor for a moment, knees at my chest, arms wrapped around them and my head resting on my forearms. I thought about those three simple words, such simple words. How could they possibly hold so much meaning. "Are you sure?"
"What do you mean am I sure! Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't have spent all that damn money on this bloody ring if I wasn't sure!" He responded irritably.
I smiled and looked back at the door. "So…you're positive?"
"Of course, now unlock the door so I can come rescue you."
I reached up and twisted a brass knob and the door flung open. Draco burst into the bathroom, gathered me in his arm and lifted me clean of the ground. "I'm sorry…I made us late."
"No I did, because I was an ass." Draco whispered soothingly. I curled into his arms like a little kitten and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. I buried my face in the hollow of his neck and breathed in the familiar sent of Draco.
"…I love you too." I whispered
"Good, cause if you didn't I'd drop you."
A/N:. This might be the last chapter for a lil while, I'm sorry, but I felt the need to warn you.
I'm starting high school on Wednesday, completely new school, apparently it's one of the best schools in Philly, so I'm assuming there's going to be a huge home work load. So I'll try and adjust to that and keep writing, but school takes first priority (sorry! Don't come after me with spears and knives!). I'm hoping the home works not to bad.
But since this chapter is sort of the beginning of the end of the fic (there's still a few more chapters to go so no worries!) I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers, even those who haven't reviewed (Gr.) You've all been so helpful and supportive of the fic, without you guys there's no way I would've remained to dedicated to the it (I have a very short attention span, don't mock me). So I send you all big hugs and cookies of your choice (sorry, we only have virtual cookies in stock).
