Thankyou to all my wonderful reviewers, I really appreciate everything you wrote. As for my errors with the age difference between Erika and Draco, when I fiddled around with it to make it work, I changed the second mention but forgot about the first, my bad!
In this chapter, you are introduced to Blaise Zabini and his little sister Alessia. I also added a very long winded conversation about anime; dedicated to all anime lovers, where ever you are! Rock on Anime! WOO HOO! For those of you who don't watch anime, I'll put footnotes at the bottom to help explain. Lots of Harry/Draco fluff in this chapter, although they're not actually going to get together yet, I thought that they should at least share a kiss. I thought that their relationship was a little fast moving, but I've seen faster, and it's going to take them a while to actually get together.
Please also note that Half Blood Prince will have very little impact on this fic, I'm not so happy about Sev being evil after all, amongst other things.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters; any characters not in the books, such as Erika, Arianna and Alessia are mine.
This chapter is dedicated to xXZero CoolXx. Thanks for supporting me, although something tells me that you shouldn't listen to my friends... hope you like the Gravitation reference!
Enjoy!
Siren's Song
Chapter 2
Draco woke a week later, once again with a splitting headache, and a fiery pain searing through his lower arms. He groaned as he tried to sit up and was hit by dizzying pain. "Careful mate." He heard his sister's voice float gently through the haze of pain. "You lost a lot of blood according to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Here." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders to support him and raised a cup to his lips. "Uncle Severus whipped this up while you were out. He's been beside himself ever since he found out."
Draco took a sip of the red coloured potion, and coughed and spluttered a little. "That's disgusting! What is it?" he choked.
"It's a blood replenishing potion, it's meant to restore your blood." Erika answered with a quiet laugh.
"I can't believe you haven't yelled at me yet." Draco said softly. "Or at least asked me why I tried to kill myself."
Erika sighed. "There'll be plenty of people yelling at you over the next few days; Uncle Sev, Hermione, Harry." She explained. "As for why, I think I can guess that." She smoothed her hand over his hair. "You got out a little too late to save your innocence Drake, but not too late to get your life together, and not too late to change the way you live it. Don't think that because of what happened you don't deserve to live your life the way you want to for a change. You never wanted to be on such bad terms with Harry, why not try and fix it. He did save your life after all." She suggested before leaving, and letting the boy in question enter the room.
"He didn't save my life, he ruined my death." Draco quipped, and his sister grinned.
"That's the spirit!" she carolled before leaving the two boys alone.
"Hey Malfoy." Harry said, perching on the end of Draco's bed.
"Hi." Draco answered shortly, nervously.
"You gave us quite a scare." Harry told him. "Lucky for you, Hermione's quick with her wand."
"Remind me to thank her sometime." Draco replied wryly, with a hint of a smile.
They were silent for what seemed like an eternity, before Harry asked, "Why? Why do that to yourself?" he sounded pained.
"You couldn't possibly understand what I've been through since my birthday, Potter." Draco snarled. "Why should I have to explain myself to you?"
Harry refused to rise to the bait; refused to yell back at him. "I'm not asking you to explain yourself Draco; I'm asking you to trust us. We pulled you out of a bathroom so full of blood that the stains are still there. Ginny won't go in there because she was so horrified by the site of you lying there that she'd rather brave the main bedroom than go in there. Every time I go in there all I can see is you lying in a pool of your own blood. It scared us Draco, the thought that you would do that to yourself."
He realised he was becoming hysterical, so he took a deep breath before he continued. "We've always operated on the thought that you were a Death Eater in training or something, but when we found out that Erika wanted to bring you here we knew it couldn't possibly be true." Harry shrugged helplessly.
"I think what Harry is trying to say is, Draco, that we want to start over." Hermione said, pushing open the door to reveal herself, Ron and Ginny standing behind it. "Maybe we can even be friends."
"Would you really stretch it that far?" Draco asked her with a trademark smirk.
"We'll see, but can't we at least try?" Hermione pleaded. "We're a part of a huge thing with the Order of the Phoenix; we're all on the same side."
Draco pretended to give Hermione's words his deepest consideration, but inside he already knew the answer. He suddenly gave the most genuine smile that any of the Golden Trio had ever seen him give, and Harry saw his eyes change from a stormy grey to a clear sky blue. "Actually, I'd really like that, I hated the whole 'asshole' persona anyway." He told them.
Ron, ever wary when it came to Malfoys, couldn't help but give him a little smile. "I hope you realise you nearly gave my mum a heart attack when she came home from her shift." She came racing up here three steps at a time, which is a real achievement for her."
Draco laughed at that. "I'm sorry." He said, sobering up. "But I can't tell you why, not yet. It's too fresh in my mind."
Hermione nodded in understanding. "Okay, but if you want to talk, you can."
Draco smiled. "Thanks." He replied. "Man it feels weird talking to you like this."
"Tell me about it!" Ron complained.
"So tell me about the Order of the Phoenix." Draco asked them when the four had made themselves comfortable on the beds.
"It consists of witches and wizards who are against Voldemort." Hermione explained, ignoring the winces from Ron, Ginny and Draco. "They come from the Ministry mostly, although some are just normal people, or crooks if you count Mungdungus Fletcher. Most of our teachers are involved too."
"Right, and where are we?" Draco asked.
"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place." Hermione answered promptly.
"That sounds familiar." Draco said musingly.
"Yes, I expect it does. It belonged to your mother's aunt, it now belongs to Sirius Black; he's in the Order too."
"My cousin Sirius?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded. "The one who killed all those people?" he saw Harry stiffen and immediately knew the truth. "He's innocent huh?" Harry nodded, and visibly relaxed.
"Okay, I've got all that." Draco said. "Anything else I should know?"
"Four simple rules for surviving in this house." Ron informed him. "One, avoid contact with Kreacher, the house elf, as much as possible; he's a creepy little toerag." He ignored Hermione's reproachful look.
"Two, the most innocent looking things in this house tend to attack people; I suggest you get them before they get you, just last week I got attacked by a biting teapot." Draco snorted. "We've been clearing the place out for two years but it never gets any cleaner, probably because Kreacher's useless and tends to smuggle things back in." Ron continued. Hermione scowled at him.
Draco chuckled. "Sounds like Malfoy Manor." He commented.
"Three, no matter what you're doing in the front entrance hall, do it quietly." Ginny picked up from her brother, "if you so much as breathe loudly you'll set Mrs Black off."
"I thought she died." Draco said.
"She did." Harry replied, "But there's a portrait of her hanging behind the curtains in the entrance hall, and if things get too loud she starts screaming obscenities. The only way to shut her up is to close the curtains on her, and that's no easy feat."
"I'll be careful." Draco promised. "What's number four?"
"When mum starts to rant, scatter!" Ginny finished with a laugh. "No doubt she'll practically adopt you like she has Harry." They all joined in the laughter; although Draco privately thought that he'd like to be adopted by Mrs Weasley.
"All right, that'll do; I think Draco's had quite enough excitement for one day." Molly came bustling into the room as if on cue. "He needs to rest. Shoo!" she ushered her four charges out of the room, closing the door so she could check Draco's bandages in peace.
"You scared them all you know." she told him quietly. "Particularly Harry, although it might not show. He was so relieved when Erika told everyone you'd woken up, I could see it in his face."
Draco said nothing, but was inwardly happy that Harry was concerned for him.
But what made him the happiest was that everyone had accepted him so readily here. It was most certainly not something he had expected. Mrs Weasley changed his dressings and gave him more of that vile blood replenishing potion before he drifted back into sleep.
Another week passed before Molly allowed Draco to get out of bed. On his third day of cleaning out the house with his new, tentative friends, he asked if they could go somewhere to help fight the boredom that was plaguing them all. "I haven't been to Muggle London for so long." He sighed wistfully. "Father would never let me go, so I had to wait until I got to Blaise's house."
"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Sirius said from behind them. "I'll see if I can accompany you in my dog form, I need the exercise. Of course, I'll have to clear it with Molly first." He disappeared.
Mrs Weasley wasn't exactly happy about it, but eventually she relented when she looked into the pleading eyes of her two youngest children and her three 'foundlings'. "Very well, but be careful." She warned.
So the following morning the five of them and Sirius went to Diagon Alley to exchange some of their money into Pounds, and set of into Muggle London.
"I know where we are." Hermione said, looking around.
"Me too, I love this place." Draco replied, smiling happily.
"Shop-a-holic are we Draco?" Ginny asked him.
"Yep, there's only one thing I love more than clothes shopping." Draco told her.
"And what's that?" Ron asked warily, still not completely trusting.
"Anime shopping!" Draco squealed… yes, squealed.
"Really! Oh my God, I love anime!" Hermione shrieked delightedly.
"See, I knew there was something I liked about you!" Draco quipped. Harry snorted.
"What do you watch?" Hermione asked.
"Chrono Crusade, Fruits Basket, DN Angel, Full Metal Alchemist, Orphen, Gravitation… the usual stuff." he listed them on his fingers.
Hermione cut him off. "Gravitation? Not something I'd expect a guy to watch."
"Neither is Fruits Basket." Draco pointed out.
"Yes, but it has its merits for both guys and girls. I mean come on, what guy wouldn't idolise Shigure? (1)" Hermione asked. Her gaze sharpened. "Unless of course… why do you watch Gravitation?"
"The music is fantastic." Draco answered.
"I can't argue there, but what about the rest of it? The whole Eiri/Shuichi thing?" (2) Hermione pressed.
Draco grinned and leant down to whisper in her ear, so Harry, Ron and Ginny couldn't hear. "I love it." He told her.
She grinned up at him. "So does that mean you're…?"" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. Draco nodded and her grin widened. "We are going to get along just fine." She told him.
He laughed. "Good." He said in an undertone. "I need someone to check out the hot anime guys with."
Hermione giggled. "I'm totally there," she said.
"I thought that was my job." A pouty voice said from right behind them.
Draco whirled. "Merlin Alessia, don't eavesdrop like that!" he snapped.
Alessia shrugged. "Sorry, it's a habit. Did you find another Anime fan?"
"Yeah, and one who likes Gravitation no less." Draco laughed.
"Excellent. Do you like Eiri or Shuichi better?" Alessia asked Hermione?
"Eiri." Hermione answered.
"Good, because Shu and Ryu are mine." She said, startling a laugh from both Hermione and Draco.
"Did you understand any of that?" Ron asked Harry and Ginny.
"Nope." They answered. Sirius woofed in reply.
"Where's your brother?"
"Here, wondering why you're hanging out with these people." A new voice answered.
"Cool it Blaise, they're all right." Draco said placatingly. "They know the truth."
"Oh, that's all right then." Blaise smiled with relief. "Are you all right, I've been worried about you since that Death Eater meeting at our place."
"I'm okay, but I'd rather not talk about it here." Draco replied, casting a furtive look at his new friends. "I'd rather not press my luck with these guys."
"Okay, I get it." Blaise nodded. He went over to them. "We've never really talked; I'm Blaise Zabini and this is my younger sister Alessia. Lessa's in her fifth year this year."
Alessia waved vaguely from where she was having a spirited conversation with Hermione about various anime characters.
"Well, no doubt you know who we are." Harry replied warily.
Blaise nodded. "I do know who you are." He agreed, frowning slightly.
Harry looked across at Draco. "Can we trust them?" he wanted to know.
"Yeah. Blaise doesn't want to be a Death Eater either." Draco replied. Blaise shuddered at the mere thought, and Alessia halted her conversation with Hermione to glare at Harry, as if the insinuation were an insult, which to her, it was.
Sirius barked sharply to get Harry's attention and trotted into a nearby alleyway. They all followed him curiously, wondering what he wanted. They gasped when he transformed back. "Sirius! Have you gone mad? Mrs. Weasley will kill you! Not to mention Remus!" Harry hissed.
"Not to mention we don't know if we can really trust these Slytherins." Ron added. There was a noise of protest from Alessia, who didn't seem too worried about the appearance of a convicted murderer. Blaise on the other hand was panicking, but not really able to form proper words.
"Jeez Blaise, calm down, he's innocent." Draco told him with a grin. "What did you want to say Sirius?" he asked, looking at the taller man inquiringly.
"I wanted to say that they seem alright. If they were muggle haters and Death Eater wannabe's do you really think they'd be in to muggle anime?" he asked. "I think we'd better take them back to Headquarters. I'll find a way to talk Molly and Remus around later." He transformed back into the shaggy black dog.
"All right, but not before I go anime shopping." Alessia, Hermione, Draco and Blaise said together, then laughing and bolting to a shop that they all seemed to frequent enough to be on first name terms with the owner.
After a half hour in the shop browsing, spending money and explaining to their ignorant friends about the joys of anime and manga and the wonders of Anime Conventions, the group made their way back to Grimmauld Place laden with shopping bags bursting with anime.
"I'll never get to watch it though." Draco said gloomily. "My father would beat me if he found it in the house, so I left it hidden in Lessa's room. I only ever get to watch it when I'm at their house."
Hermione laughed. "It's okay Draco, I have a laptop that I spelled to work at Hogwarts and at the Place, if you want to watch anything, all you have to do is ask."
Draco stared at her. "Really?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "Thanks Mia." He said, hugging her around the shoulders.
Hermione giggled. "Mia? That's a new one." She said.
"It suits you." Draco laughed, and Sirius wuffed and reached up to press the doorbell with his paw.
As soon as the sound rang through the entrance hall of the house, Mrs. Black kicked up her usual array of shrieks and screams. "Filth! Scum! Befouling the house of my forefathers! Evil blood traitors! Mudbloods!"
Sirius ran into the hall, transforming as he ran. "Shut up you evil woman! Just SHUT UP!" He bellowed, as Remus hurried out of the basement kitchen to help him close the curtains. They snapped back around the portrait, leaving the two men panting from the effort.
"Lovely woman she is, my mother." Sirius said dryly. Remus put his arm around Sirius's shoulder and led him away with a small smile on his face. The group smiled knowingly at each other as Sirius's fingers slid down to intertwine with Remus's.
"Are they…?" Blaise asked.
"Together? Yeah, they are." Harry said with a smile. Hermione, Ginny and Alessia all sighed romantically.
Ron rolled his eyes and led the way down into the basement kitchen. "Hello dear, back already?" his mother asked.
"Yeah, Draco and Hermione spent all their money." Ron replied. "Mum, this is Blaise Zabini and his sister Alessia. They're friends of Draco's."
Molly frowned. "You really should be careful about bringing people here Ron." She said reprovingly.
"That was my idea Molly, don't be mad at the kids." Sirius told her as he came into the kitchen, straightening his slightly askew robes, making the friends grin at each other. Remus followed not long after, tucking a piece of stay hair back into place.
"Oh really?" Molly said mildly, her eyes glittering.
"Yeah, I reckon they're all right; they're not anti-muggle and they're against becoming Death Eaters. And besides, the kids can come in handy for the Order when they get back to school. The more the merrier right?" Sirius replied.
"Sirius is right Molly." Remus suggested. "The best way that we can find out what the Death Eaters are up to is through their children. They will tell someone they trust exactly what's going on at home. Blaise, Draco and Alessia will prove invaluable to the Order."
"Thanks Professor!" Blaise, Draco and Alessia chorused.
"Don't mention it." Remus answered. "But there's really no need to call me professor anymore; that's a right that should be reserved for Erika."
"Huh? Why?" Draco asked, confused.
"It's technically not my title either; I'm just going to be the assistant. Professor Dumbledore decided that I would be safer at Hogwarts this year, but I'm not trained to be a teacher, so I'm going to be the assistant for both Uncle Severus and the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The teacher is someone called Professor Jayson Killian." Erika answered her brother, smiling at Blaise and Alessia in turn as she followed the two Marauders out of the kitchen. They smiled back.
"And you didn't tell me this earlier…why?" Draco demanded.
"Because you've spent half of your time here unconscious." Erika reminded him. Blaise and Alessia looked at him curiously.
"It's a long story." He muttered.
"Indeed it is." Erika said wryly, "One that they can probably guess better than even I can."
Alessia got the hint instantly, and pulled both Draco and Blaise up the stairs calling, "We'll be back in a minute!"
"Did one of the Death Eater's try something?" Alessia demanded when they had shut themselves in Draco's room.
"No, but Voldemort did." Draco shuddered at the memory, and Blaise made an alarmed noise. "What happened when you went into that room with him?" he asked softly.
"I don't want to talk about it." Draco said bitterly.
"Maybe you should." Alessia told him quietly, grasping his arm and pulling back his sleeve, revealing the scars from his attempted suicide. He flinched and wrenched his arm out of her grip.
"Jesus Drake, what happened." He remained stonily silent at Blaise's harsh question.
"Does this have anything to do with your coming into your powers?" Alessia asked. Both she and Blaise knew about Draco's Siren heritage, he'd told them when he's first found out; distressed by the news that he had Faery blood in his veins.
"Yeah, but I'd still rather not talk about it." Draco replied bluntly.
"All right then, fine." Alessia said, changing the subject, "Will you sing for us? I noticed your CD player in the corner over there." She pointed at the player.
Draco hesitated. "Sure, I guess so. But it might be dangerous until I learn to control it."
He smiled cheekily, "Any requests?" he asked.
"How about one of the songs that you wrote? You've never sung your own for us." Alessia suggested. Draco grinned; he'd known she'd say that. He crossed the room and pulled his muggle guitar out from under the bed. Normally, he'd flare up at the mentioning of him singing his own song, but as it was Lessa, he didn't mind so much.
Sweet days that haunt my sleep at night
That I'm sure we'll never see again
The suns we saw at dawn's first light so many years ago
Are nothing more than memories that are far too close to home
There is nothing I want more
Than to see you smiling down at me
And telling me our love is always sure
So I pray, that someday you and I will see the sun once more
Bring me from the shadows and into your arms again.
And I pray, that if we are together one last time
That you might just restore this heart of mine.
Erika was in the kitchen helping Molly to prepare lunch when she noticed the change in the atmosphere. At first she paid no attention to it, the house was so full of magic it wasn't unusual for the auras in the house to change at times, and she could tell due to her heightened senses.
She put a plate of sandwiches in front of Mundungus Fletcher. "Here you go Dung." She said cheerfully.
He didn't answer, just stared off into space; out of the door, facing the stairs. She waved her hand in front of his face, and he still didn't answer her.
More alarmed now, she looked more carefully around the room, and noticed that the others were staring in the same direction as Mundungus.
All that is, except Harry and Hermione.
"What's gotten into everyone?" Harry asked.
"I don't know… wait; yes I do." Erika muttered, trying to stifle the grin that was starting to spread across her lips.
Harry and Hermione looked at her curiously and she put her finger to her lips and beckoned them to follow her out of the kitchen. When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, Erika whispered, "Listen."
They listened hard, and they instantly heard strains of music; a guitar to be exact, playing all through the house, capturing everyone who heard it in its web of magic.
"What is that?" Hermione whispered, "Where is it coming from?"
Erika's eyes lit up. "That, my friends, is Draco in full voice." She said, and her pale blue eyes glowed a shining sky blue.
Sad strains of music floated down to them. "That," Hermione breathed, "Is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard."
Harry could only nod in agreement, so spellbound by the sound of Draco's voice that he couldn't speak.
"Yes well," Erika said with a wry smile. "Looks like I'm going to have to give him some control lessons before he sings again. At least father taught him to keep it out of his voice when he speaks.
"What is it exactly?" Hermione asked.
"I'll get Drake to explain it to you later. But first I have to bring everybody back to the real world." She took the stairs three at a time, avoiding their questioning gazes and trying hard not to grin at the fact that Harry was unaffected by Draco's power.
She threw open the door to the room and Draco halted instantly, a guilty look spreading across his face.
Erika had to restrain her laughter as she watched her abashed younger brother through narrowed eyes. "I think you had better refrain from music of any kind until I can teach you to control it."
"You're going to teach me?" Draco asked incredulously. "But… you don't have any powers!"
"Who told you that?" Erika demanded. "I'll have you know that that is most certainly not the case!"
"But father said that you never showed signs of power." Draco protested.
"Well, I wouldn't have now would I?" Erika explained patiently. "I left home just before I turned seventeen, so I came into my powers after I left and he was never any the wiser."
That made perfect sense to Draco. With their father's obsession with power at any cost, Erika had made the right decision when it came to saving herself rather than living through the kind of fate that Draco himself had suffered.
His sister's gaze shifted to Blaise and Alessia. "I take it that you are unaffected by his power?" they nodded.
"I thought as much. Each Siren has a select amount of people who are immune to their power. As luck would have it, most Sirens decide to start a relationship with one of these people. It's hard to explain, but many find themselves naturally drawn to one that they can't ensorcell. Of course some prefer it because there's no risk of encorcelling them, some trust themselves enough to start a relationship with people they can, or others, like my father, ensorcell the one they want."
"Father ensorcelled mother?" Draco asked, ashen faced.
"Yeah, although there wasn't any need, she loved him anyway. But that's why she can't bring herself to leave." Erika said darkly. "As I said, most of our kind finds that they have an undeniable link between themselves and one of their so called Soul-Mates. Not all though, it depends on how sensitive each individual Siren's power is."
"Who are mine? Are there any apart from Lessa and Blaise?" Draco queried.
"Harry and Hermione, but there might be others." Erika replied.
"Who are yours?" Alessia asked her.
"Nymph, Aunt Andromeda, Uncle Sev and one of my old school friends." Erika answered. "And other Sirens aren't affected by another's power, but can sense when another uses their power, depending on the subtlety."
Draco digested this information slowly, and Erika smiled and ruffled his hair. "Anyway guys, lunch is up, and I think Harry and Hermione want an explanation. The others should've regained their senses by now."
"Okay, we'll be right down." Draco replied.
When they entered the kitchen, nothing seemed to have changed in the atmosphere. Draco sat down between Harry and Hermione and opposite Blaise and Alessia. Harry looked at him. "So, what's going on? What happened back there?" he asked.
"I'll explain later, I don't want this to be common knowledge." He murmured. So the group ate a hurried lunch and Draco beckoned the two Gryffindors to follow him up to the room he shared with Ron and Harry.
Harry sat cross-legged on his bed while Hermione perched herself on the end of Ron's bed.
"Well," Draco began slowly. "Not to go into too much detail or anything, but basically, I'm a Siren." Hermione took a sharp intake of breath. "The gene was activated on my birthday."
"Rika is one too, and she told me that there are a select few people that are unaffected by our power. Apparently, the people that are unaffected by my power are you two, Blaise and Alessia." Draco explained.
"Which explains why everyone else spaced out." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Wow Draco, this is amazing." She exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you, this is an amazing talent."
Draco's gaze darkened. "Maybe…maybe not." He murmured.
Draco sat up in his bed two weeks later, watching as Harry slept peacefully in the bed beside his, grinning slightly when he heard another light snore come from Ron's bed. It was amazing how he'd managed to get to know these people so well, and become accustomed to all their little quirks.
It was his favourite thing to do, watch Harry sleep. He didn't remember when his hatred for the raven haired teen had turned to friendship, and then into something that could almost be love.
As he thought back over the last few weeks, he thought about how far he had come since the day that he had attempted to end his life. His control lessons with Erika were going well, and Blaise and Alessia managed to visit at least once a week. For the first time ever, life was good.
This time at the Place had been like a dream for Draco. For the first time in his life, he was happy, and he was in love with the one and only Harry Potter.
He smiled gently as Harry turned in his sleep. The boy looked at peace in a way Draco had never seen him. He was lucky that he was one of those Sirens who could feel a bond between his Soul-Mate; he knew he'd never want to leave Harry if he could have him.
There was a tap on the window, there was an owl flitting outside the room. Draco stretched and went to the window to let the owl in.
Draco's heart clenched when he saw the seal on the envelope… a skull with a snake threaded through the mouth. As he tore open the letter and read it through his breathing slowed and his heart ached in despair for the life that he had almost got to keep.
He went to Harry's bed, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He leaned over the sleeping boy and kissed his forehead. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, before curling up on his bed and crying himself to sleep.
"Good morning Draco." Harry said cheerfully when he came down to breakfast, and was met with a sneer from the boy seated at the table that he thought had been lost in the past.
"Sod off Potter." He snapped.
Harry stopped and stared. Where had that come from so suddenly? "Draco, what's the matter?"
"Nothing, everything's just fine… just fucking fantastic." Draco whispered fiercely, so that only he and Harry could hear.
Draco stood up do violently that the chair fell over and clattered to the floor as he stormed out of the kitchen.
Harry followed him out. The raven haired reached out and caught the blonde's hand. "Draco, what's happened? I thought we were past all this, what's changed?" He asked softly, with the worry for his friend evident in his voice. He and Draco had begun to get along so well over the last few weeks. The Slytherin boy was even starting to get along with Ron and was enjoying being coddled by Molly. He'd changed; he wasn't the cold, aloof Ice Prince he'd used to be.
"Everything's changed." Draco snarled, wrenching his hand away and trying to ignore the tingling feeling in his hand. Without waiting for a reply he ran up the stairs two at a time.
As Harry watched him disappear into their room, he felt a hand rest lightly on his arm. Tonks and Erika were standing behind him, their faces grim and Erika was white and drawn with worry.
"It's nothing you've done Harry." Tonks told him reassuringly. She handed him a crumpled piece of parchment. "Here, this fell out of his pocket."
As Harry took the parchment from her, his blood chilled.
We know where you are Draco, and if you do not return home by tomorrow night we will kill all the people in the house before we kill you too. You have been unfaithful to the Dark Lord Master Malfoy, and we do not take this insult lightly.
Make the right decision Draco, for yours and your friends are not the only lives at stake…
It was signed with a Dark Mark, and the ink was red. "It's written in blood." Harry whispered, horrified.
"Yes, and most likely, it's Ari's." Erika said softly. She looked down at him. "Tell him Harry; tell him he's safe here… tell him that they can't hurt him here. With Dumbledore as our Secret Keeper even if they know the address they can't find us or hurt us."
"But what about Arianna?" Harry demanded. "They'll kill her."
"I doubt it." Tonks told him gently. "She's too valuable."
Harry looked at her questioningly, and Erika explained.
"Ari is too valuable to kill." She said. "She is the only thing keeping my father loyal to the Dark Lord, if he kills her, Lucius would rather die trying to escape him than stick around if Ari was safe." Harry snorted, he found that rather hard to believe.
Erika sighed. "There's something you need to understand about my father Harry, and that is the fact that he's never been short of love for any of us." She said.
"Father never really had much to do with us; mother and grandma raised us for the most part. But father never missed a birthday or a Christmas present, and he was always there when we needed him."
She sighed. "But at the same time, father has this infallible infatuation with the purity of blood, and with power. He hates the fact that the Malfoy's are not truly pure-blooded, but is willing to make up for it by offering our powers to what he believes is the 'winning side', or the side that he believes that he can gain the highest status for the family. If he can use our powers to his advantage, than he will. But he always leaves an escape route, just in case something goes wrong. Voldemort took his escape route when he took our sister, if he wants to keep her safe, than he has to remain loyal."
"So essentially, he loves his family but he loves power more." Harry said sardonically. "Nice." He commented.
"So you have to explain to Draco that he's safe here; that we're all safe here. I think you're the only one he'll listen to." Tonks told him softly.
Harry nodded slowly. "I will." He promised.
Erika smiled and hugged him. "Thankyou." She whispered.
"Draco! What are you doing?" Harry asked.
Draco froze; he had been throwing his things into his trunk haphazardly as he found them on the floor. "I'm leaving Potter, what does it look like?" he sneered.
"Don't be stupid Draco, you're not going anywhere." Harry informed him.
"Watch me!" Draco snarled. Suddenly his face softened and he looked sad; it seemed he wasn't able to keep his old act going anymore. "I'm sorry Harry, but I have to go. I can't explain why."
"There's no need to explain Draco." Harry replied, pulling the letter from his pocket and showing him. "Erika found it; she told me what it meant for you."
Draco sank down onto the closest bed, his small, lithe body shaking with silent sobs. "I can't jeopardise everyone's lives like this." He cried.
Harry sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You're not jeopardising anything Draco. We're all safe here."
He sat with Draco for almost an hour, explaining that with Dumbledore as the Secret Keeper, not even Bellatrix Lestrange would be able to get past the front door. "The place is also charmed to look like a tumble-down ruin, just for the Death Eaters, so that they think they've either been given false information or that we've cleared out." Harry added. "There are also barriers so powerful that they could kill a whole company of Death Eaters when activated." He looked down at Draco's swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "So there's really nothing to worry about." Harry told him gently.
"But there is! There is!" Draco cried, leaping to his feet and pacing around the room. Harry stood too, concerned for him. "I can't do anything that might cause harm to come to my little sister!" Draco was almost hysterical.
"Nothing will happen to her." Harry told him, gripping the blonde by the shoulders in an attempt to calm him down.
"The Dark Lord has her! If I don't do as I'm told, he'll kill her! You know he will Harry! You know he will!" Draco sobbed. Not thinking straight, he threw himself into Harry's arms.
Sighing softly, Harry wrapped his arms around the distressed Draco's waist. He had to admit that the situation was a grim one; for both Draco and Arianna, but he also knew that what Erika had said was true, and that Voldemort was no fool.
"Arianna will be fine. She's far too valuable for Voldemort to kill her." Draco looked up at him, a small glimmer of hope shining in his currently dark blue eyes, and Harry's heart jumped. He knew Draco's eyes changed colour depending on his mood, but it never ceased to amaze him, the beauty and emotion they showed. Draco rested his against Harry's chest again, staring at the floor once more.
"Remember, Arianna is the only remaining thing keeping your father loyal to him, and he can't afford to lose someone so influential to the other side." Harry continued.
They stood like that for quite some time as Draco thought about what Harry had told him and composed himself. Slowly, he looked up at Harry again. "I don't want to leave." He whispered, almost as if the realisation had only just hit him.
Harry's arms unintentionally tightened around Draco's waist. "Then don't." he replied simply, staring down into Draco's gorgeous eyes. Without thinking about it first, the raven haired boy impulsively leaned down and kissed him.
Draco froze, then smiled and responded warmly to the gentle kiss. Finally, when Harry pulled away, both boys were blushing, and they both had small smiles on their faces. "Sorry." Harry murmured.
Draco shrugged, and his smile widened. "Don't be." He replied.
"Let me help you unpack." Harry said briskly, trying to hide the fact that he was slightly embarrassed and more than a little mortified that he had just kissed Draco Malfoy, enjoyed it, and was still alive to tell the tale. More to the point, Draco seemed to have enjoyed it too; that thought made him strangely happy.
The two teenagers spent the afternoon 'reorganizing' the mess on the floor with Draco's things, laughing and giggling, but avoiding the subject of the kiss. They didn't notice two smiling girls, who had witnessed the whole thing, creep softly back down the stairs.
That's the end of Chapter 2! I seriously thought I'd never get there!
About Draco's height; I said in chapter 1 that he'd grown a little when he came in to his power. He's still shorter than Harry, and not as well built. He's muscled out a little, but he's more sleek than bulky. I'm also toying with the idea of putting Snape and Erika together, but if you have a better idea, please review and tell me.
(1) Shigure is a character from Fruits Basket, a Manga/Anime about a family who are cursed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac, plus the Cat. They transform into the animals when they are hugged by a person of the opposite sex. Shigure is the Dog, and he's a bit of a pervert. He's a novelist with a bit of a thing for High School Girls. He's hilarious and really hot. Hence the fact, guys would idolise him.
(2) Eiri and Shuichi are from an Anime/Manga as well. It's a Shounen-Ai (Boy-on-Boy) series about a novelist and a singer being together. Eiri, (The novelist) is an asshole to Shuichi (the singer) all the time, but Shuichi refuses to give up on their relationship, no matter what crap Eiri puts him through, which is a lot. As Shuichi is in a band, the Gravitation music is some of the best in the business.
