AN: This is another longer chapter

AN: This is another longer chapter. I hope that you like it, R&R. –Richard S.

Picking and Choosing (Tales of Hogwarts Romance) Chapter 32

When Killious got back to her dorm she opted out of a nap to pass the time for the next two or three hours and decided that an extra long shower and a book would be a better idea. Maybe it would ease her guilty conscience. Abandoning your new boyfriend after a squabble and not returning for the rest of the night for the sake of dining and dancing with not only three other teenage boys but a grown man with an overly friendly touch was not her idea of loyal or affectionate behavior, no matter how involuntary the relationship was at moments.

Illy sighed and turned the water on in the shower. Her long hair draped over the front of her shoulders and down her chest, curtaining her body in black sheen. She sighed and rested her head on the tiled wall in front of her; her mind swam between thoughts on Lucious, the impending conversation with Draco, and her own guilt regarding Harry. She could feel a pulsing headache developing in the back of her neck and spreading to her temples. She raised her finger tips to her temples and began to rub them in a circular motion. She could barely think about any one thing for more than a few seconds before another worry came pressing into her head like a nail drilling through her head.

"Get used to it; my hands go wherever I want in my house" She could feel Lucious' hands close in on her; she swallowed hard.

"Number one, is that you stop embarrassing me in public. Two, you're going to need to respect me even when no one else is around…" She clamped her hands around her ears to try and block out the sound. Soon Draco's breathy voice was in her ear,

"…Killy…" She took in a deep breath and fell to her knees, bruising them as she fell.

"Why is Draco sending you letters that you don't want to open in front of me?" "Little girl, I don't care if he fucks you or not, just as long as you aren't seen in public." Illy swooned, suddenly wrapping her hands around her waist as her stomach lurched. She inhaled sharply.

"when you're alone in my house…" "…don't bother reading anything, just sit there and be supportive." "…we'll be playing by my rules," "…it's enough that one of us has problems, we don't need yours in the relationship as well…" The bile was once again black and sticky, but it disappeared down the drain and subsided shortly after, Illy was left laying on her back, staring at the shower spray that was coming down into her eyes, though she couldn't see it, as the vision her mind was dwelling on happened to be blurring out everything else…

The room had finally settled, the spinning feeling had subsided. She was comfortable and warm, the surface bellow her was soft, almost silky. She struggled to focus on not falling asleep, she felt exhausted. Her head lolled to the left, but the only thing across from her was a stone wall decorated by renaissance paintings and elaborately hung silk drapery. The stone seemed familiar, she had seen it before, in her nightmares. Panic swept over her, she forced her tired head to the right, and there was the color she was looking for, silver blond, platinum, white gold, tresses; long and wispy, just as silky as the sheets beneath her. Hot tears began to well in her eyes, this face was so much like the one that haunted her, but at the same time far younger. He stirred lightly, his eyes fluttered before opening; his smile was just as it was in her dreams. He pulled the black sheets down from his naked torso and reached out for her, she pushed away from him, almost falling out of the bed. His light chuckle sent chills up and down her spine. He withdrew the sheet the rest of the way to pull her back towards him. "Lucious no!" She squealed. His face was horror stricken.

Illy was gasping for air; her eyes and mouth were full of water from the shower's downpour. She turned herself over onto her knees and tried to stand. Her legs were weak beneath her weight as she stumbled towards the towel hook. "You're ok Killious." She chanted to herself as she walked towards her dorm room, towel clad. Rather than putting on full clothing again she slipped on boxers and a tanktop before heading down to the common room with the book Hermione had given to her earlier that day. She sat near the fire and piled a large fuzzy blanket over her shoulders to protect herself from the freezing cold drops of water that would have trickled down her bare back. After forty or fifty minutes she checked the clock, it was half past three, Draco was late. She stood up to leave; he must have been as tired as she was and gone to bed. Her hand was on the door leading to the girl's dorm when she heard an overly loud whisper.

"Killy!" The loud voice hissed. Illy came to sit Indian style in front of the fireplace.

"You're late." She said crossly.

"No, I'm in Switzerland, my time is off of yours." He retorted.

"Why are you in Switzerland?"

"Vacationing with my family."

"Oh…what am I doing in the common room at three thirty in the morning?"

"You're talking to your favorite person about your decision to date his least favorite person."

"Right about that…he kind of snuck up on me. All his friends were there and…I couldn't embarrass him."

"Killy, the boy almost choked you to death in a dark ally. He's a shameless shit! How can you date him?"

"What you really mean is 'how can you date him and not me?'"

"That too, but mostly how can you date a guy who has shown himself to be physically abusive?" Draco was outraged, she could tell, even though his voice was even and calm; the way it always was when he was actually so frustrated he could barely speak. Illy just sighed,

"Draco, it's done now and he hasn't been all that bad."

"It's been one day, and what has he done so far?" She couldn't answer to his face. She stood up, taking several paces in the opposite direction from the fireplace, still not turning around to face him again.

"He put down some rules…and I know it sounds kind of odd, but…they're not all that bad and besides, it's not like I'm going to follow all of them to a T."

"What are they?" He asked in a sneer. She bit her lip, debating the likelihood of his believing any of her lies, the chances were unlikely.

"Don't embarrass him, respect him even when other people aren't around, don't spend time alone with other men, don't question him, and don't bring all my problems into the relationship….it's not that bad." She mumbled. Draco stared at her, he couldn't reason with her, or at least not now. There was nothing he could do from the other side of a fire, thousands of miles away, why waste more breathe?

"Are those my boxers?" He asked, feigning irritation.

"No." Illy said indignantly as she turned back to Draco.

"Why not?" He asked raising an eyebrow and smirking. Illy giggled and sat down in front of the fireplace again, happy that someone in her life was willing to let things be every now and then.

"Draco, I've already abandoned Harry for the night to spend my time with you, Fred and George, I could only be less of a good girlfriend if I sat in front of the fireplace and flirted with you…after seeing you naked in the shower." She mumbled under her breath.

"You thought about me naked while you were in the shower?" He asked, sounding both winded and flattered.

"Not in a good way." She replied stoically.

"Is there a bad way to think about me naked?"

"I…I called you Lucious."

"Oh…well that would be bad…anything else?"

"It was more like one of my visions…you were older, your hair was longer, and I almost fell out of the bed when you tried to touch me." Draco looked crestfallen at her response.

"Well…" He said, trying to make the topic less upsetting. "Were you naked too?" He asked with a smile. She rolled her eyes,

"I didn't check to see."

"How could you not check to see if you were naked too?"

"I see myself naked all the time. It's not exactly an event in my book."

"Well it's an event to me!" Draco said with indignation. "Bloody hell, I'd throw a party every time you took your clothes off for me." He said with a scummy smile.

"Draco…my visions…they usually come true…it really worries me."

"How could the thought of waking up next to my god like body worry you?"

"Draco, you were either older, or it was your dad when he was younger…I don't know which."

"So it could be the past or the future?"

"And I have no way of knowing which."

"Yes you do, I have Black family genes in me and he doesn't, we look different, even if our faces are close, I'll just have to spend a night naked with you in my bed and you can tell me in the morning who it was." He teased with a devious smile.

"I'm not spending the night with you. And that wouldn't work anyway, I said it was you when you're older, your hair was much longer, and you looked bigger, I mean taller and more muscular."

"Did you get a good look at all of me?"

"I'm not comparing my memory of your dick with your current hard on… You'll need some time to grow." She added with a vicious inflection.

"Oh please, if it was that big I know it was me." Draco said arrogantly.

"And how would you know that? Do the two of you compare on a weekly basis or something?"

"You can never let me have my moments can you?"

"Not when they boost your self esteem…of course it's more like an out of control raging ego at this point."

"You're not so humble yourself. You're bony ass can't help but show off every time you get a chance."

"I thought that my ass was the only non-bony thing on me."

"As long as you can still fit into a pair of double zero jeans your ass is bony."

"You're not exactly a fat ass either."

"No, but I eat healthy, I have muscle tone, and my ass looks great."

"Says you."

"And half of our house."

"You're a whore."

"And you're going to knock boots with Harry Potter…and me at some point."

"Well…when you put it that way you damned well better be the person in that vision."

"Please don't make me think about that."

"Think about what? Me and your dear old Dad getting nasty?"

"How are you not gagging right now?"

"I am. it's just that I'm bulimic too, so I'm good at holding my vomit."

"Well now that I've given up all of Magda's good cooking to your fowl mind, is there anything else you want to add? Maybe I can get a stomach ulcer too."

"Harry's spit tastes better than yours." Illy chided. Draco just snorted.

"Now you're lying."

"I haven't even kissed him yet."

"Keep it that way." Draco said, suddenly sincere.

"Why? It's not like you're the first guy I've kissed Draco…You weren't even the first one at this school."

"Still…Can you tell me exactly what happened in the shower?"

"Why?"

"I tell you everything you want to know, so why not make this a two way thing."

"If I tell you about the shower will you tell me why you continue to go back to Pansy of all people."

"Yes."

"Fine…" Illy relayed the vision nervously, her stomach lurching several times unpredictably along the way. When she was done Draco was silent for several seconds,

"Would you recognize the stone if you saw it again?" Draco asked in an overly intrigued voice.

"Sure, how could I not?"

"And can you tell me about your dreams?"

"I have them written down. I'll let you see the book when break is over…Now you need to talk to me about Pansy."

"That's easy…Her family has been making plans with mine to marry us, she's conveniently around whenever I want." He said with sad disdain.

"So she's just the easiest fuck?"

"And no one's parents mind…But you know that if you'd just stop with all this friends nonsense you wouldn't have to be disgusted with me, and I could deal with the inconveniences of normal adolescent sex." Draco said with a little smile.

"Which is exactly why we're going to stay friends."

"Because I'm willing to give up meaningless but convenient sex?"

"No, because you just assume that I'd be willing to give you a toss off whenever you want, and all you'd have to do is deal with our parents."

"That's not true number one, and number two, you saw how my Father reacted to our being friends. Do you know what he'd do if we got caught together?"

"Well we're not going to get caught doing anything together so why worry about it?"

All of a sudden Draco's face was interrupted by Snape's ominous and looming, though thoroughly exhausted expression.

"Killious, enough, its four in the morning, go to bed."

"Yes Father." She said sarcastically.

"You too Mr. Malfoy." He snapped. Draco's voice came from Behind Snape's now glowering face,

"Right Professor." Snape's face disappeared. Draco let out a chuckle.

"I'll owl you in the morning Draco." Illy said with a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Replied Draco with a wink.

"What?"

"Dress sexy." He said before his face disappeared. Illy let out a frustrated growl before retreating to her bed.

The stone was the same again, the walls were identical, the cloth felt familiar. The feelings…those were different. She wasn't panicked or scared, she wasn't even shy. It was like once again she was a bystander, just like in her other dreams. This wasn't like the vision that she could interact in, it was just a scene playing out in front of her eyes and she couldn't do a thing about it. He was smiling again, that satiated, totally calm smile, and he was looking at her.

"You know you're gorgeous in the morning." He said seductively. She giggled a little and moved closer to him, curving herself into his body and pulling his arm over her.

"You know you'd say anything to get laid." She said slyly.

"Only if I'm saying it to you." He whispered into the back of her neck. She shuddered under the tickles of his breath. She could smell the two of them in the air, olfactory proof of their love making in his bed. He danced two fingers from her neck down to her hip, slipping his hand lightly between the silk sheet and her body; his fingers crawled down lower, slipping between her legs. She let out a light gasp.

"Son!" The sound rang up the stairs below.

"Hide." The blond whispered to her. She was out of the bed in a second, dragging the sheet with her. She ducked inside of the walk in closet and closed the door lightly behind her.

"Son! The mudblood is missing!" The voice was just outside the door now. She watched from the closet as the young man pulled his silver comforter up around his naked body, just as a hooded figure burst through the door without knocking.

"Son that filthy bitch of yours is missing." He said darkly. The boy narrowed his eyes on his father.

"I'm certain we've had a conversation about you not calling her names."

"You can call the slut whatever you want. But in my house she is a vile, disgusting, whore and you will not correct me." He moved his face so close to the boy when he said this that she was certain he would move back. But he did not even avert his gaze or blink in the face of the cloaked man.

"I'm sure she's just out walking, she does take a morning run around the black lake during the school year."

"That wouldn't take all that long; it's nine thirty." He said speaking even quieter through his clenched teeth.

"Maybe you miss understood; she ran around the lake five or six times each morning and had quidditch practice with me. Locking her up in this damned house doesn't provide exercise for a girl with that much energy…unless you'd prefer her running laps inside the house?"

"She should be getting plenty of exercise with you. I know you've been screwing that little half-breed tramp, which as I'm sure you know, is not something I will tolerate in my damned house."

"Please Father don't start this, she's just out for a run. Leave it."

"If I found out you're fucking around with her she'll pay for both of you." He spat.

"I guess we're both safe." His son smirked and waved goodbye as his father stormed out the door.

"Oi! Get over here; we need to get you sweaty enough for him to believe you've been running all morning." He called towards the closet door. She smiled and pushed the door open, wrapping the sheet around herself like a towel. He put out both hands, eagerly smiling as she crawled across the bed towards him.

"That smile is ridiculous." She said, tracing his lips with her index finger. He tugged the sheet loose from her body. "It just keeps getting bigger. Pretty soon you won't be able to frown, and what will become of your reputation then?" She asked as he leaned in to kiss the bit of bare skin between her breasts. For the first time she looked down at her body, large breasts and olive tanned skin, no bony hips, just soft, supple curves. She realized…but just as he moved one hand around her butt and the other to her chin the door burst open again. She dropped her hands from his hair, though she hadn't realized until this moment that they had even been there. His hair must have been midway down his back.

"That contemptible soiled smut is out for a run is she?" The man was across the room in seconds. She pulled the sheet back up around her body, just in time for him to throw her over his shoulder. The young man was standing up before his father had turned around.

"Put her down!" His voice bellowed through the room.

"I told you what I would do if I found out. Suppose she had spawned one of your seed? We would be forced to kill it!" She was thrashing against him, while struggling to keep what bit of coverings she had on.

"It is no business of yours whom I take into my bed, now put her down!" He shouted again, tying another one of the bed's sheets around his waist.

"You'll be loosing your inheritance if I hear you speak like that one more time!" He tightened his hold on her, slipping his hand over her rump in a harsh manner. She let out a wail of disgust.

"Get your hands away from her. I know what you've done." His voice was cool and emotionless. "What's that supposed to mean…son?"

"Isn't she a bit old for you?" He asked harshly, but still stoically. His father dropped her to the floor with a thud, but held onto the sheet, dumping her naked body onto the floor. She squealed as he reached a hand down to pull her up by her hair.

"I'll take what I want in my house."

"It's too bad that after tomorrow it won't be your house."

"This house will be mind until the day I die, and even if I lost it tomorrow, she wouldn't be alive to see it. I'm done with this petty whore prancing around my house and controlling you like some doll!"

Illy woke up surprisingly calm. Matty had just pushed on her shoulder to wake her.

"No bad dreams last night eh?" She asked.

"Just not as bad as usual." Illy explained.

"You've gotten an owl, and a summons from Dumbledore." She handed Illy both sheets of paper.

"What time is it?"

"Eight. I would have woken you up at your normal time…but you got in really late. Good night with Harry I suppose?"

"No." Illy pulled herself out of bed and opened up her trunk to find something to wear.

"I'm gonna just read these to you while you get ready." Matty informed. "I'll read the summons first:

Miss Killious Enquirous

Headmaster Dumbledore has requested your presence in his office, please come as soon as you've tucked into a bit of breakfast and gotten dressed.

-A. Dumbledore

"Right, that'll be fun." Illy sighed and continued to search for things to wear. "Sexy… sexy…sexy" She continued to mumbled as she searched.

"The next is the owl…it's from Draco, 'Illy, tell your boyfriend that you're going to see your parents in Sacramento, that's where they are at the moment, and when the carriage drops you off don't ring the doorbell, it's for the best I promise. Be a good little girl and do as I say, Draco' That's a kinky little note Illy." Matty smiled.

"Yeah, just super." Illy mumbled before finally deciding on a change of clothing. Matty turned around and continued speaking while Illy changed into Draco's jeans, a black and grey striped tanktop, and Draco's hoodie.

"What happened to sexy?"

"Fuck sexy." She said as she rushed out the door.

"Professor Dumbledore." Illy called to the gargoyle that stood guard over Dumbledore's office.

"Appointment slip." It requested as it jutted out a hand and yawned. She handed over the slip of paper. "Knock on the door when you get to the top of the stairs." The gargoyle instructed before moving out of the way so that Illy could pass.

"Thank you." She said with a smile as she headed upwards. She knocked twice with the griffin knocker and stood back.

"Come in." Replied the voice behind the door, just before it slid open of its own accord. Illy stepped inside the cluttered but comfortable office.

"You summoned me Headmaster." She said in a confident voice.

"Good, none of that shy stuff from you is there Killious?"

"My reputation precedes me." She said sweetly.

"Indeed it does. How have you been Killious, I haven't seen you since before the start of term."

"I've been…busy. But as I'm sure you know, I'm doing fine with my school work."

"Oh, I know you've been busy. Quite the answer seeker as I've seen. And I think you've spent more time outside of this school than any other first year." He said with a twinkling, knowing smile.

"I do try." She said, breaking into a grin and taking a seat.

"Well, that is all excellent, because you're here due to the fact that a certain friend of yours has gotten you out off campus yet again, though I'm not sure if I would volunteer to rise so early. Professor Snape told me about your chat through our lovely floo network here in the school fireplaces."

"I don't get much rest anyway." She said honestly. Dumbledore chuckled.

"I suppose you don't. But it's Servius' responsibility to guide you along the reasons as to why, and I will not interfere unless I must."

"But you just have." Illy said. "You've just made a point of rousing my curiosity, so that I will ask Servius for answers."

"Professor Snape."

"Any time I'm not in his class he's my friend, not my teacher, but if it bothers you…"

"No, go ahead, just my formalities."

"As I was saying, your audible decision not to interfere was in itself an interference."

"Quite a bit more trouble than I seem, aren't I?"

"Indeed." Illy agreed, feeling suddenly as though she should be wise beyond her years and philosophical in Dumbledore's presence.

"Now, onto the matters at hand," Dumbledore began by clearing his throat. "Your friend will be taking you off the grounds by private escort. I'm sure that he has warned you not to ring the doorbell, as I am certain that Mr. Malfoy is having a gathering at his house that he neither wants his son absent for nor you present for. But what Draco does with his time is his own responsibility, where your time is my own, as you have decided to stay with us through the holidays. I will tell you that your parents really are in Sacramento, a city in the United States, and that you should probably tell your friends that you are going to visit them, as it will make my job much easier." He spouted out the words like a fountain, bubbly and bright.

"Thank you sir." Was Illy's only response.

"Of course, now I'm sure you should dismiss yourself from Harry and the rest of your friends discreetly before heading out to the front gates where a ministry escort and personal friends of Lucious Malfoy will pick you up."

"Yes Sir." Illy rose from her chair.

"One last thing." Dubledore urged. "I would like you to take a protective pendant with you, just in case. I know about your…strained relationship with Mr. Malfoy." He said as he passed her a small red pendant on black leather cord.

"I'll keep it on at all times." Illy replied, and left the office with a smile.

"Harry, I'm really sorry." Illy apologized sincerely before she took her seat next to Harry.

"About last night or this morning?" He asked with an aggravated scowl.

"Both… and for later today." She stammered out in a hurry as she nodded good morning to everyone else at the table. Fred and George glanced at one another nervously, clearly worried as to whether or not she would be informing Harry about their escapades from the night before.

"What are you talking about? Just tell me where you were?" Harry demanded confidently, though confusion was still clearly written across his face.

"Last night I fell asleep. I was exhausted after the library, I meant to wake up and explain to you why I was so rude, I honestly did. But I didn't wake up until late at night, well four in the morning actually, you can ask Matty, she woke up when I came in from the common room, where I fell asleep." She said in a rush as she passed the book she had borrowed from Hermione the afternoon before back to her. Harry still had a blank expression on his face, as though he were waiting for more. Illy cleared her throat and continued. "And then this morning I was late because Dumbledore requested that I go see him as soon as I got dressed which actually brings us to why I'll be gone for the rest of the day…My parents requested to see me in Sacramento for the holiday, I can't stay though, so I'm just going for the day. And Actually I need to get going now." She said as she checked her watch. Harry looked stunned.

"So…so you're leaving again?" He asked with a disappointed look on his face. Illy smiled and leaned to give him a kiss. His lips met hers shyly at first, and then eagerly. He leaned in closer and pushed against her mouth forcibly; his tongue pressed itself against her lips harshly, she tried at first to tighten them against him, but as he clamped a hand down on her thigh she pulled open her mouth in shock and he pushed his tongue farther into her mouth with no hesitation. She had to use both hands to push him back from her,

"Harry…we're at breakfast." She whispered out in a seething tone, feeling the heat in her face rise. Harry looked aggravated but when she gestured towards all of their friends who were staring blankly at them in disbelief he blushed and gave her a last little kiss on the mouth.

"Sorry love." He apologized with a shrug. Illy was mortified by his lack of genuine care for the situation he had just created.

"I-I'm going to head to meet my ride. I'll see you all later." She said with a wave as she rose from the table. Hermione and George gave her feeble goodbye's, but Ron and Fred were silent as they watched her leave the room.

"What was that all about?" Fred asked the second she was out of ear shot.

"I don't know, you'd think she's trying to avoid me." Harry said as he leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

"I think he meant you." Ron said shyly.

"What did I do?" Harry asked incredulously.

"You practically swallowed her head!" Fred shot back.

"She my girl, so I don't think that's your business."

"That doesn't mean she's your property or something. She clearly had some reservations of decency about the whole thing."

"And how would you know that?"

"She forcibly pushed you off of her Harry." Hermione said in a small voice.

"She's just shy. I don't need this right now, Ron lets go." Harry said as he stood up to leave.