Only Time
Chapter 9 - Taking sides
"That's why I'm asking: Which side are you on?" asked the old wizard with point hat and half-moon glasses, "Lemon biscuit?" he offered indicating a tray full of sweets to Lucius.
The blond looked horrified to the tray and to the headmaster who was smiling.
Lucius then gave one more brief moment to the tray before throw it far away with his hand.
"Lemon biscuit? Lemon biscuit?" thundered Lucius suspending the headmaster by the collar, "You crazy old fool! First you threaten me and you come all cheeky offering me this biscuits from hell!" continued while knocking the old man against the wall, almost making the paintings falls.
"It's just candy", Dumbledore tried to defend himself, closing his eyes every time his head was violently hit against his office walls.
"That's what I think of your damn candy, old fool", said the blond throwing the old man on the floor, kicking him multiples times, "And about your question, I'm on the same side I always been: the Malfoy side!", said giving one more kick on the old man's ribs, making him cough blood.
To finish, he took the headmaster through the stairs, making sure that his bloody head knocked on every step. And he didn't stop there. When he arrived on the second floor – the one with the telescope – stood by the window. He looked outside the window and after verifying the distance from Dumbledore's office window to the ground he smiled. Without thinking twice he threw the puny body of Dumbledore, which fell screaming.
Lucius watched the fall with a dreaming expression, just like a child in a toy store. However, just like any child, he got tired very quick. That's why he sent an Avada Kedavra on the body before it could arrive on the floor. After hearing the noise caused by the impact of the body to the ground he laughed like a maniac. And between his laughter, he heard a distant voice.
"Lucius?" called Dumbledore looking confused, waking up the blond, "For a moment I thought that I had lost you", commented the headmaster, watching Lucius through his half-moon glasses.
"If you knew how irritating that look of yours is", thought Lucius to himself, "I was just lost among happy thoughts", confessed Lucius, looking disappointed, "I should have known that it was too good to be true", he thought.
"Candy?" offered again the headmaster.
"Sure", accepted Lucius trying to be polite.
Death Eater? Yes. Psychotic? Sure. Sociopath? You bet! But rude? Never! A Malfoy could be anything but impolite.
"So we could return to the matters at hand", said Dumbledore trying to return to the discussion.
"I wonder if this crazy fool poisoned this", pondered before eating the sweet, "I know I would", he thought tasting it.
Lucius was impressed with the taste. It was not heavenly. But it wasn't bad. On the contraire…it was unique! Not too sugary and with a bitter taste to it.
"I would love the recipe of this", murmured Lucius while taking another.
"I didn't know you cooked, Lucius", Dumbledore commented smiling.
"Don't spread otherwise I would have to kill you", he said, "By Merlin, did I say that aloud?" he thought without showing any emotion.
To his amazement Dumbledore laughed which lifted the tension.
"It seems that I don't know many things about you. Who would thought that Lucius Malfoy had a sense of humor?" the old wizard laughed, making a tea set appear with a flick of his wand, "Tea?", he asked and after receiving a nod he served two, "So, have you already thought about the question I've made you?", inquired while passing the cup to Lucius.
"Oh yeah", said Lucius, drinking a bit of the tea, " But the answer is simple: I'm on the side I always was", confessed Lucius, regretting it the next second, "What I mean is that I'm not on your side nor on Uncle Voldie' side", started, but stopped while realized what he just called the Dark Lord, "I'm under the effect of Veritasserum, am I not?, he asked with a closed expression while getting up.
"What makes you think that?" asked the headmaster smiling.
"That was low, crazy old fool. That was an internal joke. You weren't supposed to now", said Lucius sitting again and taking more candy, "It wasn't here, was it?, he asked indicating the sweet.
"The tea", Dumbledore answered laughing, "I thought you would leave after finding out".
"Why would I? I already said what I shouldn't, the least I could do is turn the rest of the situation on my favor", Lucius said before eating more candy.
"Once a slytherin, always a slytherin", the headmaster commented with a low voice.
"You owe me this recipe", Lucius attested taking another one, making Dumbledore look at him through his half-moon glasses, "And don't give me this cross-eyed look! It's annoying. Besides it's only fair. I answered your question, so you owe me a recipe".
And realizing that he lost the argument, Dumbledore gave him the recipe.
After the confusion on the beginning of his class, Lupin continued explaining regardless the tense atmosphere in the classroom. They were all surprised when they saw the Gryffindor trio back with the Slytherin Prince bodyguards. But they didn't try to make any questions since Crabbe and Goyle looked read to kill anyone who even dared.
"For the next class, I want a full report about defense methods against berserk veelas", Lupin said, making most of his students complain, "And that doesn't include hiding yourself on the girls bathroom, Mr. Longbottom", he added seriously to the chubby boy that was shaking since his encounter with Draco, "Class dismissed".
Harry and Ron bid their farewells to Hermione, since she was going to her Arithmancy class, and went to their next class: Divinations. However, when they were turning on the next hall, they were stopped by two great blocks of meat. Before they could react, they were grabbed e held against the wall.
"Let go of me", Harry ordered struggling in vain while he was conducted to an empty hall with bad illumination.
"Let him go, you troll", Ron yelled, before having his mouth shut by Crabbe' strong hand while he was pushed to Harry' side.
"Say it already, Potter. What have you done to boss?" Goyle asked while choked him.
"I don't know what you're talking about", Harry answered while his face changed colors.
"I'm going to ask you just one more time: what have you done to boss?" said Goyle infuriated.
"I didn't do anything to Bele", Harry said, with some difficulty, making Goyle expression change drastically. He then let go of Harry's neck making him fall to the ground.
"What did you call him?" Goyle asked suspicious looking directly at Harry, who tried to breath.
"I called him Bele", answered Harry, "Isabele. It's his middle name, isn't it? I asked if he didn't mind if I called him like that. And s…he said that he didn't since his sister called him that all the time", Harry explained, making Goyle and Crabbe share a look.
Goyle and Crabbe looked at each other for some time, clearly 'talking' and with a nod they let the two gryffindors go. When Ron was free he stood by Harry and took his wand pointing it to the slytherins in front of them.
After some awkward moment, Goyle approached Harry, who took his wand out too.
"No one will hurt you while the boss is not hurt. Got that?" stated Goyle while he ignored the wands that were pointed directly to his chest.
"Err… ok", said Harry watching Crabbe and Goyle leaving the hall. He looked to his red head friend for some enlightenment, but his friend was just as confused as him.
They didn't notice that Crabbe and Goyle stopped on the end of the hall.
"Potter?" called a very calm Crabbe, "If the boss gets hurt, you die".
After that friendly talk, Harry and Ron were finally to their class.
Draco was bored on her bed at the hospital wing. About forty minutes Madam Pomfrey called Dobby to help clean the scratches on her body, since Draco didn't let the old nurse get near her bed and touch her.
"Dobby tried to warn young mistress yesterday. But young mistress is impertinent. Young mistress doesn't listen to Dobby", the house elf complained while he took a shard of mirror from her right hand.
"Ouch! That hurts, you know?" said Draco pulling her hand to her lap, "My hand is so ridiculous like this…all delicate and with those long nails. That's disgusting! It looks like a girl's hand", she said looking disgusted by the mere thought, "Wouldn't you cut them for me?"
"Young mistress Draco is a girl", said the elf cleaning a scratch on her left shoulder, "Can young mistress hold the hair a little? It's on the wound, sir."
"And there is that awful hair", she said holding he hair with her right hand, "That's also disgusting! You could cut it for me too, Dobby", suggested with a sweet voice.
"Young mistress can count on Dobby to cut her nails. But Dobby doesn't know how to cut hair", he excused himself while he went to clean the two huge cuts on her back, the ones created when her blacks wings appeared.
"Well thought. I don't want to look like a lunatic again", she said laughing, "OUCH! That hurt!" yelled Draco moving away from Dobby, which called the attention of the nurse that came running to her side.
"Any complication?" she asked when opened the curtain to get closer to the bed.
"I'm naked here, you perv!" Draco complained with her hair flying, trying to pull the sheets to cover herself.
"Oh, stop complaining, Mrs. Malfoy", said the nurse checking her cuts, "You have two nasty cuts here, miss. Dobby, give me the potion that is on the potion cabinet, on the third shelf and…"
"Why don't you go and take? You're not going to apply anyway", Draco said to the nurse making ugly faces to her. The nurse went muttering something like "Veelas, who needs them?"
Hermione was in her Arithmancy class, and tried very hard to pay attention to her work. This was difficult, since everyone decide to make small talk that day. The 'accident' at Murtle's restroom was before the class started, so by now, everyone knew. And since almost all the classmates besides Hermione, Draco e Susana Bones from Hufflepuff were Ravenclaws, the class was filled with most various theories. And since ravenclaws were not stupid, some of them were very close to the truth.
The whole room was quiet when the door opened and through it passed the most beautiful been. Draco looked to everyone embarrassed, but her expression didn't show anything. Noticing that all the looks didn't leave her, she decided to sit on the safest place in whole classroom.
"Move over, Granger", she said indicating Hermione's backpack that was occupying a place.
"I see that you're back to normal", Hermione said sarcastically, taking her materials and put them on the ground. Draco then sat beside her, "Weren't you supposed to be on the Hospital Wing?" she asked curious.
"I don't think that my presence there is welcomed", Draco answered uninterested, copying the work from the chalkboard. She then noticed a pesky presence beside her, "I don't care what you ask, the answer is no", she said without even look.
"I want to know if I can hold your books after the class", said a boy with a smile on his face.
"Do I look crippled to you?" she asked annoyed, looking to her parchment.
"No", answered the boy trying to caress her face.
"Then why in heel would I want your help?" Draco rudely said, verifying her results on her calculations.
The boy, ignoring the rude answers that Draco gave him, reached his hand to what he considered one of the most beautiful things in the whole world. However, before his hand could touch anything it was stopped by a strange and nothing gentile hand. Hermione held his wrist with one hand while the other attacked him with a spell that threw cold water.
"Now that you can think with your good head, I suggest you return to your seat. I'm trying to study here and your presence is not helping", she said to the poor wet boy that looked at her confused. But even confused, he went back to his seat, "Boys", she said returning her attention to her work.
"Thanks for that", thanked Draco, still looking her work.
"I can die happy now. Draco Malfoy tanked me", Hermione commented laughing, "That proves that people change", she said serious.
"Not at all, dearest mudblood", said Draco with a little smile. Hermione sensing that it was not mean like an offense, smile too, "And wipe that smile of your face before I puke", the blond said returning her attention to her lesson. Hermione did the same.
The rest of the lesson went without further occurrence, and soon the day passed in a blink of an eye. Draco didn't have any great problems, since Crabbe and Goyle were practically glued to her side and scared the hell out of the few who dared to try touching Draco. Severus Snape also helped, joining the 'army' from the teacher's table. This was good. Every time he saw some suspicious movement in his own house, he stopped it with his penetrating and scary look. Remo Lupin did the same with the Gryffindor table.
Regardless of what they saw on Murtle's restroom, Crabbe and Goyle didn't make any questions concerning the relationship between Draco and Harry. However, their actions and furtive looks to the Gryffindor's table made clear to Draco that something happened during her brief stop at the hospital wing. She was decided to learn more about it, so she went to the owlery and sent a message by one of owls that were there to Harry.
Harry was half-laying on one of the confortable sofas in Gryffindor Common Room while playing Explosive Snap when an owl entered the room in great speedy. Even with his great reflexes, Harry couldn't get out of the way in time which resulted in a direct collision with the old owl.
"Errol?" Ron asked taking the knocked out owl of Harry.
"Are you ok, Harry?" Hermione asked while helped him to sit down again.
"Did someone took the tag of the car that ran over me?" Harry asked shaking his head.
"Tag?" Ron asked confused, "Letter for you, Harry", he said giving the small envelope to his friend, "What mom wants with you?".
Harry, worried that could something concerning Sirius, opened the letter as soon as possible.
"Dear Harry,
We need to talk. Same time. Other place. If you don't find me, I'll find you.
Love,
Bele"
Without thinking, he gave his friends a huge smile that told Ron that the letter wasn't from his mom.
Draco had a little trouble to get rid of Crabbe and Goyle. Her friends were convinced to let her alone even for a minute. They even made sure to follow in her nocturnal invasion of the kitchens. It was already midnight and they still didn't look even tired. Decided to not let her date with Harry, she put her plan in action as soon as Dobby got away from them.
"I'm so tired!" she innocently commented with a yawn. They looked suspicious at her, "Don't you want to finish this tomorrow? The cooks aren't going to run, you know?" she said in a bad mood.
After exchanging a few looks, Crabbe and Goyle ate the last cook and got up. It was the sign that Draco was expecting. They said their farewells to the elves and went to the Slytherin Dungeons.
Draco tried to act as normal as possible. She complained nonsense, like she always did for the last five years in Hogwarts, while going to bed. It was public knowledge in Slytherin that Draco wasn't very sociable when she was sleepy. That's why all of them avoid contact at all costs with the Slytherin Prince when he was going to bed or when he woke up.
Draco laid down on her bed, and after the noises on their dormitory stopped, she silently opened her bed curtains. With careful, she put her head out, verifying that her friends were sleeping. She then, carefully, got up and took her wand. After putting a silence charm on the bedroom, she took her shoes and left.
Harry took his invisibility cloak and map and left his common room not without arguing with his friends to go alone and promise to behave and stay out of trouble.
And then after consulting his map, he went outside the castle.
The night was beautiful. The stars were shining in the sky. The breeze was soft and fresh. It didn't remind the awful hot day that made. Draco was walking around the lake, expecting the time from their date when a strange smell called her attention. It was strange, but at the same time it was familiar. It reminds her of her mother. But of course it was just her imagination, since her mother couldn't be at school. Lost among those thoughts, she almost didn't notice when a hidden figure under an invisibility cloak got near.
"Harry?" Draco said, recognizing the essence of her beloved one.
"How did you know it was me?" Harry asked, taking of his cloak when Draco turned in his direction.
"Your smell", she explained smiling.
"Good to know that I have to have a shower more often", he joked standing in front of her, "You look gorgeous, Bele", he said touching her now long hair, "I didn't have noticed that it was that long. You look different. Did you grow?" he asked curious, making her take a step back.
"Just a little", she answered embarrassed, avoiding looking in his eyes, "Nothing that makes me trip on my own legs", she murmured so low that Harry had trouble to hear, "I feel ridiculous", she said sad.
"Don't say that. I loved your hair like that", he said hugging her, "It's soft and smells wonderful", he commented playing with her hair, "But I didn't get one thing: why did you change so drastically in just one day?"
"For y…" she started but stopped herself, "If I ask you something will you answer me truthfully?" Draco asked Serious.
"Shoot", Harry answered smiling.
"Doyoulikeme?", she asked in one go, and seeing that confused expression in Harry, she took a deep breath and tried again, "Do you like me?", and not seeing a reaction, "Or care just a little?", asked full of hopes, "It's ok if you don't, of course", she knew that was babbling and that her chin was trembling, "I'm not going to be sad or anything", said while fighting to stop the tears.
Harry watched the person absolutely distressed in front of him that tried to stop the tears blinking furiously. In vain, of course, since some of them fell down her face. He wasn't good with words. Actually, he was terrible. The he did the only thing he could at the moment; he took her tremble lips on his.
"I love you, Bele. You're the most beautiful girl that I've ever seen", he finally responded with some difficult, "I'll never left you", he assured her.
"How can I be sure of that?" Draco asked with a smile on her face.
"Because I want your body", he answered serious, "I'm just kidding", he said laughing when he saw her smile vanish.
Draco murmured something like "Gryffindorish sense of humor". After some few slaps on his arm, Harry finally stopped laughing. But every time that Draco mentioned his friendly talk with Crabbe and Goyle, he interrupted with kisses or simply entertained himself playing with her hair.
A figure among the ambushes looked disgusted at the scene in front of her. Instinctively, she had her wand pointed to the young couple embraced. She was about to curse them with an unforgivable curse when an excellent idea pop into her head. The tall and skinny figure lowered her wand and holding the small object in her necklace, she disappeared.
A small pop sound made Draco turn her head to the ambushes. But after watching in silence for a few instants, she convinced herself that it was just her imagination.
The tall and skinny figure reappeared moments later in an old construction. The room was dark. She walked through a few halls on one floor and in few moments she was in front of a large door. She opened carefully and went straight to the imposing figure covered by black robes accompanied by a giant snake called Nagini.
"I have important news for you, my Lord", said the figure taking her hood showing her long and bad threatened hair.
"And what would that be, my sweet Bellatrix?" asked the Dark Lord calling her.
And with a pure look of adoration, she told him everything that she knew.
End of chapter 9
AN - This is the English version of the fic that I originally wrote in Portuguese. English is not my first language, and all I know of grammar is the basic. I don't have a beta or anyone to translate it for me, so if you find any errors please let me know so I can correct them.
Thank you all for reading and sending me reviews ^^ I really appreciated