Chapter 8: Long Agonizing Journey
But there the youngest of the gods lay sleeping. He was the most beautiful, most irresistible of all immortals. His hair shone golden as Arthur's flaming chariot, his face was radiant as dear springtime, with two dewy wings on his shoulder, whiter than snow, and with shining feathers like the tender petals of rose.
He gasped and trembled which shook the lamp and a drop of hot wax fell onto his beautiful husband's face. At that, Draco awoke.
"Draco? God of love?" Harry whispered not to Draco but to himself. His gaze was then drawn to the eyes of Draco, eyes that showed pain and betrayal. After some time, Draco fled.
Wild with sorrow, Harry tried to follow, but he fell on the ground instead. Draco, seeing him as he lay in the dust, halted his flight temporarily and said, "O doubting Harry, is this how you repay my love? After having disobeyed my father's commands and made you my husband, will you think me a monster and strike me with a knife? But go; return to your siblings, whose advice you seem to think preferable than mine. I inflict no other punishment on you than to leave you forever. Love cannot dwell on suspicion." So saying he flew away.
Harry stared about him. He was alone, and the place was beautiful no longer. Garden and palace had vanished with Draco.
---
"What is this I am hearing? You now are trying to tell me that you didn't really go and punish that insolent little boy?" Lucius ranted. This has been going on for an hour now as he was trying to heal Draco's wounds.
"Yes, father, I believe that's what I am saying. Anyway, I really can't feel an improvement in your so-called treatment of my wounds so if you would be kind enough to fetch Hedwig and ask him to call on Sirius." Draco answered idly. He was lying on one of the Lucius' heavenly couch and trying to brush Lucius' hands off from his wounded face.
"You ungrateful little boy, is this how you repay me? After nursing you like any father would, you are actually driving me away? And to think that I am not just any father! I am the god of beauty himself!"
"Come on now father, I am hurt, I am bloody annoyed, I am melancholic… I am feeling every possible negative emotion there is so please, would you be kind to leave me alone?" Draco tried to dismiss his father who was still fussing on him like he's a baby.
"Fine! Fine!" Lucius said then he whispered to himself, "Ah, children, feed them and nurse them and yet it's not good enough for them. You still get ignored and batted away at the end of the day."
After that the god of beauty flew out of his chamber and sent for Hedwig.
---
"He tricked me daddy and I demand that his most favoured inamorato be given to me as a replacement," Narcissa was yelling so loud that the mortals at the foot of the mountain where Hogwarts is located can probably hear her voice.
After the little competition she had with her twin and after accidentally killing her beloved, Narcissa flew to Hogwarts to tell their father, Albus, about the so-called trickery of Sirius and insisted that Sirius give his most favoured water nymph Remus to her as a replacement. One thing that Sirius strongly opposed to.
"No! I won't give you Remus. It wasn't my fault you killed him. I was merely looking for a suitable target and I saw this rather odd floating object in the lake and so I chose it to be your target. Had I known that it was your dear beloved Bill, I wouldn't have, of course, let you kill it," Sirius defended himself.
The god of all gods, tired of the nonstop fighting of the twins, shook his head in frustration. He was then ready to strike them with a frightening thunderbolt when his messenger son, Hedwig, arrived.
"Oi! Sirius! I bring word from Lucius," Hedwig declared cheerfully.
"Lucius eh? Do tell," Sirius said giddily and went near Hedwig abandoning his very angry sister and their obviously relieved father.
"Hmm, hold on, I'll look for the parchment, it is here somewhere," Hedwig then stuck his hand into an invisible bag and looking for something then after a while he triumphantly stretched his hand out of the invisible bag and exclaimed, "Aha! Here it is!"
"Well…?" Sirius waited expectantly.
Hedwig opened the parchment and read it's contents aloud, "Dear darling Sirius, You are requested to grace with your presence the heavenly, wonderful, magnificent, splendid palace of the ever beautiful me. Apparently, my dear beautiful son – second to me of course – have had his heart broken by a wretched insolent boy and he is asking you – yes you – to help him through the worst phase of his immortal life. Very well, I have to go now as Ginny and I still have to exchange beauty secrets and whatnot. For ever beautiful, Lucius."
"Well, well, well, what do you know, I am needed by my dear nephew Draco. I'll speak with you all later! Bye daddy dear! Bye darling sister!" And without any more words Sirius hurriedly flew out of Hogwarts.
"Well, look at him! He just flew away, how rude is that daddy? You should punish him!" Narcissa got angrier when Sirius left.
"Now, now, my dear darling daughter Narcissa, let me just grant you one wish and forget about all this, alright?" Albus tried to negotiate with Narcissa.
"Alright, very well then, since Bill is already dead, just grant me eternal virginity daddy and I'll forget everything about this," Narcissa then calmed and laid down her terms.
"Eternal virginity then shall be yours. Now go and do what it is that you are doing everyday," Albus approved of her request immediately just to free himself of her.
"Oh, thanks very much daddy dear!" Narcissa said happily as if the prior argument did not happen at all then she flew out of Hogwarts pleased.
---
"Draco! My charming handsome nephew! Draco dear, how've you been?" Sirius joyfully exclaimed when he flew in Draco's chamber at the magnificent, splendid, wonderful palace of Lucius.
"Obviously I am miserable, melancholic, gloomy, sorrowful…" Draco sighed.
"Oh, lovely, I didn't know sadness can turn you into a talking thesaurus," Sirius said looking quite thoughtful.
"Come on Sirius, please be serious!"
"Whoa! That rhymed! Do it again!"
"Grrr…"
"Alright, why am I here then?"
"I just need a companion that's all."
"Oohh, lovely. Right, very well, since I'm already here, do you want to hear the latest about your darling husband?"
"Sure go on."
"He is looking for you!"
"Of course he'll look for me."
"Yeah but… he would go to your father and your father, that prat, would send him to three very impossible tasks."
"What?"
"Yes, so as early as now you should contact your helpful friends and ask them to assist your lovely handsome husband."
"Alright then."
---
Over the mountains and valleys Harry journeyed alone until he came to the city where his siblings lived with their spouses. He stayed with them only long enough to tell them the story of his unbelief and its penalty. Then he set out again to search for Draco.
As he wandered one day, travel-worn but not hopeless, he saw a lofty palace on a hill near by, and he turned his steps there. The palace seemed deserted. Within the hall he saw no human being, only heaps of grains, loose ears of corn half torn from the husk, wheat and barley, alike scattered in confusion on the floor. Without delay, he set to work binding the sheaves together and gathering the scattered ears of corn in seemly wise, as a prince would wish to see them. While he was in the midst of his task, a voice startled him, and he looked up to behold Molly herself, the goddess of the harvest, smiling upon him with good will.
"O Harry young man," said Molly, "you are surely worthy of happiness, and you may find it yet. But since you have displeased Lucius, go to him and ask him favour. Perhaps your patience will win his pardon."
These motherly words gave Harry heart, and he reverently took leave of the goddess and set out for the temple of Lucius. Most humbly he offered up his prayer, but Lucius could not look at his earthly beauty without anger…
TBC…
July 2, 2005
