I'm back! As promised, here are my thanks to:
yourLastLove, StarGirlPotter, DustNight25832, GanjaiaQueen91, Guest (you know who you are!), Stevie90, booklover11694, jackiepie, emmettclearwater8055, Lil Scarlett, Mango-Live, InLethe, Katherine Janise, jkmac3, yungsamury, Lady Mariel, Ninjaz1428, TheEnd97, nd2216, Nobody North, Lutty, dorothymalfoy, sarah30074, katville007, smile38654, .freak, lissaann17, sorsh90, CecilieDk, DustNight25832,
for favoriting, following, and reviewing! This chapter is for you guys!
Also, here are some song recs so far for the story!
Ch. 1 Alex Band - Only One Ch. 1 Jason Walker - Echo (special thanks to EllaChocolate for those song recs!)
Draco/Hermione - Sugar - Paper Route* Valerie - Monster - Imagine Dragons
Ch. 8 Worthy - Jacob Banks* Ch. 10 I Don't Wanna Be In Love - Good Charlotte Ch. 9 Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys Ch. 4 Beat the Devil's Tattoo - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Ch. 13 The Wolf - Fever Ray (beginning)
Ch. 13 / Draco/Hermione - Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge*
Ch. 15 Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine*
Listen, and tell me whatcha thingk!
Oh, and a note at the bottom you should read!
(Posted 7/23/14)
Sooooooooooo," Lincoln dragged out, pointing his spoon at the man across from him, "you want me to go to the Minister and demand they remove the law, before we do any sort of collaboration."
The Nymph King rubbed his temples, a vein throbbing in his forehead.
"No, you imbecile. I said that we should go to the Minister and request that the law be post-poned, so we could do collaboration work."
Lincoln rubbed his chin, thinking. "What am I doing again?"
The King threw his hands up turning to Valerie. "I sincerely hope that you don't have any future plans for him."
Valerie had not taken her eyes off her soup once since the conversation started. She dunked her spoon into the clam chowder and brought it up to her face, looking at it with a scrutiny one reserved for unknown objects.
"You should be surprised I let him live this long," she said with a low and even tone. Her eyes flickered to Lincoln, and the Vampire cleared his throat.
"I'm rather curious you chose him to be your consort, Valerie." Marcus spoke, a few chairs down from Lincoln.
On the scale of one to Luna Lovegood, this entire dinner affair was Hermione saying she hated reading. No words aptly described the events of this party. It wasn't even a party! It was a dinner party. Draco had imagined some sort of event like the Ministry charity ball. But no. This was like taking your girlfriend and her family who were very strict vegans to a dinner with your parents who only eat meat. Everyone was arguing about something, and Draco had been glared at more times than he could keep track of. The Magical Creature Council seemed to disagree on everything. And Draco meant EVERYTHING. At one point, they were arguing on the sort of color tie Potter should have been wearing. Because apparently blue clashed with his 'foamy sea-green eyes' and did nothing to 'bring out his complexion'.
And then they had the audacity to criticize Draco for his hair color. His bloody hair color that he had no control over because of genetics, and no way was Mother going to let him change it! According to the Fairy Queen, Draco needed a brown hair color to make him look less pale. Then one of the Vampire council members, Gwen or something, said that his 'paleness was quite appealing' which started an argumentative war about how Vampires had no taste in humans and that Fairies had 'screwed up priorities'.
Draco had shared more looks with Potter in the moment of this dinner, Draco was quite sure it would take a massive Obliviate spell to make him forget what Potter looked like. Draco had looked at Valerie several times during the ordeal, and she merely looked like a child who was forced to attend a family dinner full of old people. She was even leaning on one of her hands while eating!
It of course didn't help that Lincoln was the Robin Goodfellow of guests. Anytime one of the monarchs made some sort of comment, Lincoln was there to provide some sarcastic witticism. It was like Blaise on Nargle powder, if such a bloody thing existed.
Needless to say, Draco would no longer give Lovegood issues for being weird. One of the Monarchs, the Sphinx Queen, did not say one word the entire time of the important matters at hand, instead choosing to mutter about the consistency of the clam chowder that they were eating. According to her, it needed a heavier cream and fewer potatoes. Then the King of the Manticores started knitting with his spiked tail and one of his claws. For one, seeing a Manticore was strange enough. It was a bloody winged lion for Merlin's bloody sake. Seeing it knitting a hat for the Nymph King's granddaughter was just...
Draco put his head in his hand, groaning to himself.
When Lincoln had come bursting in the library about an hour ago, yelling about dinner being ready, Draco had been on high alert. It was time to be robotic.
That was until they entered the ballroom, and a house-elf announced her royal fang-edness and 'her Grand Consort'. Could a consort even be grand? What was the bloody difference?! Harry and Draco had given each other the first look of the night at Valerie having a consort.
Potter had taken to just shoveling soup - oh pardon, CHOWDER, because according to the Sphinx, it was far too thick to be soup - into his mouth and glaring at his spoon.
At this point, Draco could deal with the action from Samhain, with threats and evil glances. Those he could deal with. Some weird magical creature dinner shenanigan was out of Draco's league.
They, and by they Draco meant each Monarch and their Council, were all seated at a grand table - see that makes more sense - that filled the ballroom. It was long, extending almost from the door of the ballroom to the throne. It was covered in a cream - because it wasn't white enough to be white, thank you 'o Sphinx king - tablecloth. It was patterned with different fractaled circles and shapes, making Draco's head swim. Although, the only part of the tablecloth that he could actually see was the part that hung over the edge of the table. The rest of it was covered by food. So. Much. Food. Good Merlin. And of course no one was touching the food, except for Ariann, who was picking at the venison next to her. Apparently, she didn't like clams.
Valerie sat at the head of the table, in front of the throne. To her immediate right, sat Lincoln. To her immediate left, sat Draco and next to him sat Potter. Next to Potter sat Jeremy, Plaka, and Gwen. On the opposite side, sitting next to Lincoln, was the other three Council members. That included Marcus.
On Lincoln's side of the table sat the Nymph, Sphinx, and Veela Council. On Draco and Potter's side sat the Fairy, Manticore, and Werewolf Council. It was a huge group, and Draco was rather surprised that everyone fit.
It was indeed strange.
Valerie gave a sideways look at Marcus and rolled her eyes, not bothering to address his comment. Until now, the two seemed to have ignored one another. Draco was still on alert, waiting for Marcus to pull something. The other Vampires did not seem as stressed about it.
After some common talk and banter, the elves came in and replaced the soup with a cut of steak. There was another group of elves that came in, only they refilled the drinks.
There were normal requests for wine, water, and even soda. Then they moved to the Vampires. Gwen was the first to be served.
"I'll take an A positive," she said, not even hesitating.
Plaka made a face and turned to the elf. "Give me an O negative on the rocks. And a splash of lemon."
The elf moved to Jeremy, who ordered a whiskey with 'Italian'.
Marcus and the person next to him asked for 'Russian Muggle'. The council member closest to him asked for a 'young girl'.
The elves finally got to Valerie. She didn't look at anybody, but was merely playing with the tablecloth.
"Missus?" The elf asked. She looked up at the elf with pursed lips.
"I'll take vegetarian. Or just someone with a natural diet, without any preservatives or crap."
"Yes Missus," the elf said, and with a pop he was gone.
Draco felt a chill run down his spine. He had an image in his head where the elves would bring out people, and the Vampires would devour them. Draco's stomach became unsettled, and he found that he couldn't finish his steak. He made a play of pushing it around his plate to look as if he was still eating it, but did not eat another bite. Potter, it seemed, was trying a bit harder, and managed to keep eating, albeit with small bites.
His fear was unfounded because a moment later, the elf popped back with a tray of goblets. He set them down in front of the respected Vampire, and left. All Vampires reached for their cup, taking a drink with a look of satisfaction. Valerie took a drink, and it was as if she regained lost color. Her skin took on a healthier tone, but Draco didn't remember it ever looking unhealthy.
The dinner continued on, with idle chatter. When the attendees were finished eating their main courses, the elves brought out cheesecake.
"And here I was expecting blood pudding," Potter mumbled.
All the utensils stopped moving.
Potter, who became aware of what he just said, looked up with a jerk of his head. "I'm sorry I didn't mean-"
He was interrupted by Lincoln bursting out in a laugh. The rest of the Vampire Council gave off small chuckles, and the other creatures laughed along with Lincoln.
"For a wizard, he's not half-bad," Jeremy said, pointing a spoon at Potter.
The others just gave a small smile, and the table lapsed back into silence.
"Speaking of wizards," Valerie started with a low, slow voice, "I take it you all got the proposal?" She looked up from her dessert, finished. The eating slowed and then stopped altogether.
Ariann was the first to speak up. "Yes. I was rather...surprised."
There was a snort from the Nymph King. "Surprised? I think that's quite a downplay. Not to offend Your Highness, but are you insane Valerie?"
"I hardly think trying for peace is insane."
"But a compromise that calls for us to give intimate details about our species?" The Fairy Queen asked.
"Yes. But in turn, they would be sharing details as well. That is the point of a compromise."
"I think the biggest question," the Sphinx asked, "is if it's worth it."
Valerie looked at Lincoln. He stood up and produced a vial with a purple liquid.
"One of my Wizard-Vampire chemists has been working on that. You all know that a Vampire can run fast, faster than most species, hence the myths that we can flash. But you all know that we can do no such thing," Valerie said.
Lincoln popped the stopper off the vial and downed the potion.
"This however-" Lincoln made one step and was no longer in his spot. The Creatures and wizards alike all looked around, searching for Lincoln and found him on the throne. He was sitting with his legs throne over one of the arms, and a wicked smile on his face.
Valerie sat forward with both hands fisted together and her elbows resting on the table. "-changes that."
Silence. Absolute silence.
"Granted, the potion only lasts so long on Vampires, it can provide extra stamina for wizards. Tell me Harry, have all Death Eaters been caught?"
"No." Simple, to the point.
"What's the biggest problem in catching them?"
Potter sat back with a weary expression. "The remaining Death Eaters have resorted to joining together to join groups. We've put a Jinx on their names, so we can find them. However, they found out about the Jinxes and use it to their advantage. When they plan an attack, they have one group act as a diversion, and the others come in after for a surprise attack. Their main objective just seems to be causing damage and trying to kill the Aurors. We've managed to catch a few in the attacks, but by the end of the attack, the Aurors are tired and worn out. We can't send out the right amount of Aurors because the surprise attacks don't always happen, and they seem random. So most times there are too few Aurors, and as I said, they get tired. The Death Eaters can't apparate, so they run, and the Aurors can't keep up."
"Are the Aurors even in shape?" the Nymph King asked.
"It's a job requirement," Potter said. "If the Aurors had a potion such as the one Lincoln just took, we could capture more Death Eaters."
Valerie sat up straighter. "We know that the Death Eaters are some of the biggest contenders when it comes to kidnapping of any magical species, but also dark wizards in general. If Aurors had the added stamina, they could capture more of these dark wizards."
The Fairy Queen sat forward. "No offense to your two guests, but we know that the wizards already take Vampire blood for that sort of thing. Something supposedly illegal."
"Granted, but straight Vampire blood isn't as strong, and doesn't last as long. Making a potion, such as this, public would cut out the need for illegal activity, and by extension, the kidnappings. In fact, we could bring that part public to all wizards, and gain sympathy."
Marcus scoffed. "Are we so weak now that we need pity in order to get anything done?"
"There is a difference between pity and sympathy," one of the Sphinxes said.
"Regardless of the differences, we don't need it," Marcus sneered.
"Spoken like one who is unfit to rule," the Sphinx King said. Marcus shot him a dirty look. The King turned to the rest of the tables residents. "I am as unsure of the compromise as all of you, but the number of disappearances in all of our species is growing. And with the acts of the new bill coming closer, the problem is liable to grow worse. We need something to push it back. I think bringing the disappearance to light could help."
"Even if we did bring them to light, who's to say that the wizards will even care?" the Nymph King asked.
"If I may," Potter interrupted, "you misjudge wizards rather harshly. There are those of us out there who care about helping, regardless of specie. One of my closest friends would certainly rally behind your cause."
"It doesn't help if even they can't be heard," the Nymph King protested.
Potter sighed. "I don't like playing this card, but I think that if Hermione Granger said something, wizards would listen."
The creatures looked at one another.
"I don't know how much you know about the War, or even if you paid attention, but Hermione was one of the biggest reasons Voldemort was defeated. She's the smartest person I've ever met, and I would be dead if it wasn't for her. Besides that, if you choose to go the peaceful route, and agree to some sort of compromise, I would stand behind you. That's why I'm here, to try to convince you to give wizards a chance. I know in the past, the relationship between Magical Creature and wizard has been rough, but I would like to change that. So both sides can be at ease."
The Manticore King sighed. "Who is to say that this compromise would even work?"
"I say we give a test run at it," The Fairy Queen said.
"Actually, I'm glad you said that," Valerie spoke. "As of right now, the Vampire Council and I have been working with the Headmistress of Hogwarts to collaborate on something beneficial to both parties. They get what they need and we get the publicity."
"What is it?" The Nymph King asked.
Valerie smiled. "That is a surprise for now."
"And just the Vampire Council gets the publicity?"
"I'm using this as a stepping stone. If all goes well, and I will make sure the publicity branches to all species. But if, for some reason things go horrible, than you are all out of the cross hairs."
The Nymph King didn't say anything, but he did sit back.
"And what if this boy's face doesn't work?" Marcus gestured to Potter. "Considering he's associating himself with a former Death Eater."
Draco felt Potter look at him, although for once Draco couldn't decipher it. He felt all eyes turn to his person. He racked his brain for a witty retort, but remembered that he couldn't say anything rude, lest he be slaughtered. His mind raced for some sort of statement, and a light flickered on in his head.
"I think it would work in your favor even more," he said.
Marcus smirked. "How so?"
Draco sat back, all nonchalance, shrugging. "Because I'm more or less the poster child for ignorance. I blindly followed an evil man, not asking questions, just taking orders. If you told people that if they stayed ignorant, they'd end up just like me, even without that intention, I guarantee that this entire country would educate themselves."
Draco knew that was the right thing to say when Marcus frowned. The rest of the table started to murmur to each other.
"Are there any other projects you've been working on?" Ariann asked.
Valerie nodded. "There's a potion being tested that would act as a blood substitute, much like the potion now. Only this one is more effective, and not needed as frequently."
The Vampires grew quiet at that. Marcus was the first to speak up. "Do you expect us to go on a diet of this potion?"
Valerie inhaled. "If everything works well, and we get the publicity we need, the fact that we drink blood from humans will be the most troublesome to the wizards. Having the existence of such a potion could put them at ease. But it will be made clear that we cannot survive on potions alone."
"You mean like you have?" Marcus asked with a glint in his eye. This was news to the other species it seemed, for they each gave startled expressions at Valerie.
She smirked and shrugged. "I can't expect the rest of the Vampires to rely on potions, when I do not." She stood up from her chair. "As I said, this was just a proposal. Although I urge you all to think on this. We'll find out how well things will go when my surprise becomes public."
The rest of the magical creatures nodded and stood up from their chairs. Each monarch took a turn to talk to Valerie. Draco stood behind her, close enough to act as a guard, but far enough away to give her privacy. The rest of the Council members talked amongst themselves. He noticed that Marcus spoke to the Nymph King with fervor. The King himself said nothing, but continued to look worried.
It seemed the dinner was over.
The monarchs and their respected councils were each escorted out by an elf. Most had brought a car here, and Draco was wondering why they didn't just disapparate when he remembered that they weren't wizards. The only creatures left now were the Vampires.
Marcus rounded on Valerie and pointed a finger at her. "Did you even intend to tell me about the recent developments, or were you counting on one of your Council members to look foolish in front of the others?"
Lincoln rolled his eyes. He had moved from his perch in the chair sometime during the creatures' conversation, but had moved to stand by Valerie when the others left. "If you would bother to attend a meeting every once and a while, you might find out a few things. And Dracula knows you don't need help to look foolish."
Marcus's face purpled with rage and he turned to the other council members. "You all cannot possibly agree with this! Relying on those bloody potions, you might as well not even call yourself a Vampire!"
Plaka rounded on Marcus. "And you might as well not be part of this Council! With everything you've pulled, I'm surprised you haven't been killed off! We are trying to ensure that our species is safe, and that we no longer need to live in fear. What have you been doing? Fueling your own agenda!"
"Plaka, that's enough. Marcus has the right to give his opinion on matters," Valerie spoke with a calm voice.
"Oh, don't patronize me," Marcus spat. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I hope you realize not everything will work out."
"I'll deal with that when the time comes. Until then, I'm tired and need to escort Mr. Potter back to Hogwarts."
Marcus shot Valerie one last dirty look and stalked away. When he walked out of the ballroom, he slammed the door, causing the floor to reverberate and the room to fill with a 'boom'.
"I really don't like him," Lincoln growled.
"Join the club," Valerie muttered. She turned to her Council. "Do you all think they'll accept the compromise?"
"Hard to say," Jeremy said. "I think for now, most of them are undecided. There are too many variables right now. But I think if your little 'surprise' pulls through, the majority will accept."
"The only one I'm worried about is the Nymph King. I think he'll have the hardest time accepting things," Gwen said.
"Hmm," was all Valerie said. She thought for a moment and turned to Plaka. "I take it if he declines, I can count on you to persuade him otherwise?"
Plaka smirked. "Do you even have to ask?" She said in a sultry tone.
"Good. Now I'm tired, as I'm sure you all are, and I would like to get out of these heels." She turned to Draco and Harry. "Ready to go?"
Potter nodded. Draco gave one shake of his head.
"Since you two have fully functioning Portkeys, and I don't feel like putting up with the crap Floo network, we'll Portkey outside of the grounds of Hogwarts." She nodded at Draco and he took the handkerchief out of his pocket.
"Be careful," Lincoln said, as Draco felt the familiar pull of the Portkey. There was a 'whoosh' and the trio of Hogwarts students were flying. All too suddenly, the ground rushed up and Draco felt his feet slam into it. He never really figured out how to land right, and he lost his balance, falling backward. Valerie had landed on her feet, and Potter teetered for a bit before righting himself. Valerie offered Draco a hand and he took it, pulling himself up off of the ground.
"Thanks," he said.
"No problem," she said in a tired voice.
"So..." Potter said. "Did things go well, or…?"
Valerie sighed. "As far as the Ministry and everything, we'll have to wait and see. But..."
"What?" Draco asked.
Valerie started walking, a pondering look crossing her face. The had taken the Portkey and landed right outside the front gate of Hogwarts.
"It's just...Every year, without fail, there has been some sort of disaster. Some attempt at my life, or attempt to take me. And tonight...nothing."
"Maybe Marcus gave up or decided-"
"Marcus isn't the kind to just give up. Nor is he the kind to change his mind after a few years of repeated behavior."
"So maybe he's going to try something on another night or-"
Valerie jerked her head up, and at the same time whirled around, flinging her arm backward. Draco and Potter went flying onto the stone pathway leading to the courtyard. Draco got to his feet, as did Potter. Figures stepped out of the shadows, walking with deliberate and slow steps.
"Figures," Valerie muttered.
The figures continued forward into the moonlight and Draco saw the barred fangs. The one in front of the group chuckled, waving around a wand.
"Do you really think some barrier will keep them safe?"
"Considering it's reinforced with Fairy magic, there's no way some half-wizard is going to break through." Valerie said. Ever since the War had ended, when Hogwarts was rebuilt, the first thing that was taken care of was safety. There was a barrier around the entire grounds that held up all day, all year. Nothing could break through, from what rumors had said. Each student and teacher that was on a roster had a certain charm on them that allowed them to slip through, unaffected. Anyone without permission would be immediately stunned.
Valerie was in front of the barrier. She was crouched down halfway, almost like she wanted to pounce. But she remained still, in front of the boys. It was a protective stance.
"We don't intend to break through. Humans are always so simple to draw out."
Valerie said nothing and there was a heavy silence. "You aren't here for me. I'm not Marcus's target."
A chuckle. "No. He thought it would be more impacting if someone like Harry Potter was injured while under your protection. Plus, if the Malfoy boy dies, then you'll have the blood of two humans on you."
"He does realize that their death will rally the humans against the Vampires and the rest of the magical community."
The Vampire raised an eyebrow.
"...Which would give him the leverage to attack the wizards. And since you're half wizards, the Community won't blame the Vampires." Valerie deadpanned.
"He said you were a keen girl. But while the humans are the biggest priority, we were told to take you as well."
"If you can," Valerie said with malice.
Draco and Potter surged forward, wands drawn, but were pushed back with a wave of Valerie's hand. She cocked her head to the side, but kept her eyes on the group in front of her. "They just said they want to kill you, and your first instinct is to leave the protection of Hogwarts? Seriously? I told you earlier this week, no playing the hero."
"But they're-" Draco started.
Valerie turned to look at him. "I don't care! If you want to help, you will stay within the barrier. Shoot off spells from there, but do not cross th-"
It was a mistake to look away from the Vampires in front of her, but Valerie needed to get it through their heads. The leader of the group surged forward catching the front of Valerie's dress. She shoved her arm down on his, and the fabric tore. With a kick to the chest, the man flew back into one of his comrades. The others drew their wands, firing hex after hex at Valerie. She brandished her wand, blocking most of the spells, while others hit the barrier behind her. Draco and Potter produced their wands as well, and started firing back, staying within the barrier.
While Valerie was distracted, one of the Vampires snuck around to the side, rushing forward and colliding with the girl. They fell to the ground with the man on top of Valerie. Draco pointed his wand at the man, but was hit with shoved by Potter. Draco had not seen the Cruciatus curse flying toward him, too focused on getting Valerie out. Potter took the hit, screaming out in pain, and passing out.
Draco heard Valerie yell "Stop!"
The Vampires did nothing, keeping on with the attack. Draco remembered that Penance with the Vampires would allow the Monarch a certain amount of control over others. Draco had seen it first hand on Samhain. But now, for some reason, these Vampires acted as if they had not heard Valerie.
The Vampire struggling with Valerie on the ground chuckled. "Don't you think Marcus thought ahead. We Vampires haven't paid Penance, therefore giving us the upper hand."
Draco cast Protego around Potter, barely deflecting another Cruciatus curse. Besides the leader there were four other Vampire-wizards that Draco was battling. Draco considered himself powerful, or at least capable, but with blocking four attacks and keeping Potter protected, his energy was draining fast. Valerie continued to grapple with the other Vampire. She got in a palm thrust to his nose, and he went flying back.
"Get Harry out of here!"
"And leave you here? Not bloody likely!" Draco cast Petrificus Totallus.
"Draco!"
This was not from Valerie, but from another voice. A feminine voice all the same, but it came from behind Draco. And he didn't need to turn around to see who it was.
"Hermione!" Too afraid that either of them would get hit, Draco didn't turn his head. Hermione, for all her worry, didn't ask, but jumped into the fray. She shot hex after hex at the group in front. Two managed to jump out of the way, but one was hit, and he fell to the ground.
"What in the, ugh, bloody fucking name of - son of a! - Merlin are you doing here?!"
"I could ask you the same thing!"
"I asked first!"
"Are you two," Valerie grunted, "fucking kidding me right now!" The leader had gotten back up, shooting a curse at Valerie and advancing at the same time. He jumped in the air, landing a kick to Valerie's abdomen. She tumbled back, rolling several times in the process. He shot the Cruciatus curse at Valerie, and she screamed out. He repeated again and again. Draco deviated from the other four and shot out Expelliarmus. It fond it's mark and the wand went flying out of the wizard's hand.
Valerie had somehow managed to stay conscious, but lay on the ground dry heaving. She tried picking herself up, but collapsed back on the ground.
"We need to get her!" Hermione exclaimed, shooting another spell.
"You are not going outside this barrier!"
"Draco we can't-"
"That's enough!" A new voice rang through the night. Another shadow melted out of the forest, and for a brief moment, Draco saw Voldemort leaking out of the darkness. But he blinked, and in Voldemort's place stood Rhett. He walked forward in an egotistically slow walk with his hands clasped behind his back.
"I told you not to harm her," Rhett said to the leader of the attackers.
"You said to capture her in any way we could."
"Without causing her pain! Do you not know the repercussions of casting the Cruciatus too frequently?"
"I'm sorry sir it won't happen-"
Rhett waved one of his hands, and there was a crack as the mans head whipped sideways.
"No. It most certainly won't happen again," he growled. He looked at Draco. "It seems I must thank you for stopping him. I couldn't imagine Valerie with a weak mental state."
Draco could only stare at the Vampire in astonishment. He felt like yelling at the Vampire, telling him what he could do with his 'thanks'. A hand grabbed his and squeezed, curbing him from - probably - pissing the male Vampire off.
Valerie still laid on the ground, but she had stopped dry heaving. She had stopped moving all together.
"This was supposed to be a simple hit-and-collect job, but you know the old saying. I've got to do everything myself. I really do apologize for having to kill you. But it's necessary."
"How do you intend to kill us, when you can't get past the barrier?" Draco asked.
"I intend to persuade you," Rhett said, as if this was obvious.
"Persuade me? To kill myself?"
"Well, I'll be the one killing you, but that's just semantics."
Hermione squeezed his hand harder.
"But you still have a moment to live. I suggest you say your goodbyes to the girl." Rhett walked over to Valerie and crouched beside her. He checked for a pulse, and found one.
Right as Valerie pushed herself up, and kicked Rhett in the face. All in one fell swoop.
Valerie's chest was heaving, not in pain, but anger. Her eyes were electric, on fire.
And they were blue.
Draco had only seen this color when Veela was out and about. He had only seen a tinge of blue with Valerie at moments that were emotional. Moments when she was angry.
And she was pissed.
"Rhett," she seemed to draw out the name. Like a cat drawing out the death of it's prey. "It's been a while."
Rhett was slow to stand back up, his eyes glued to Valerie's.
"I don't think we've ever actually met," he murmured.
Valerie smirked. "Pity. There's a few choice words I'd like to share with you."
"You don't strike me as the kind of Vampire to waste your time with conversation."
"True."
She lunged, catching Rhett off guard. She slammed into Rhett's side, bringing him down to the ground. With a swipe of her hand, she slashed Rhett in the face with her nails. Three cuts ran down from his hairline to his jaw, dripping blood. Rhett pushed her off, but she landed on her feet.
"'An eye for an eye', or rather, a scratch for a scratch."
Rhett held a hand up to his face and brought it away. He seemed surprised that he was bleeding. He stared at his hand, as if he hadn't ever seen it before.
"You know, when you created me Rhett, it was a different experience. It's like being woken up from a very long sleep. Each Vampire conscious is a manifestation of a deeper subconscious in their human. The part that the human has too much self control to let show. So when I did wake up, I was ecstatic. I got to see the light, got the breathe air. And yet, here my hero was, hurting my human. Making her cry and wish for death. I was conflicted. I thought someone as generous as you, wouldn't be so cruel. But I saw, through Valerie's eyes, what it was like. The pain. It was a very different experience. One that I don't want to repeat."
"V, I-"
"You don't get to call me by that name! That name is reserved for the people who know me, for the people I care for. You on the other hand, are expendable."
She lunged again, but Rhett rolled out of the way. Rhett went to strike back, but V just hopped out of the way, before surging forward once more. She managed to grab a hold of his hair, and brought her knee up to slam into his nose. There was a 'crack' as it broke.
Rhett broke free of her hold, and scrambled back. There was a 'pop' as he disapparated away and it was suddenly too quiet.
The four other Vampires had long since disapparated themselves, leaving the grounds clear, save for the dead Vampire.
V looked up at the sky and let out a sigh. It sounded more annoyed than exhausted or worried, and Draco felt a chill run down his back. He brought Hermione's hand behind him, dragging her with it, so he was in front of her.
V turned and looked at the wizards, seeming to notice them for the first time.
A gradual smirk played at V's lips, showing off the sharp teeth and wicked intentions.
So this chapter was...grating. To write and to read over. So let me just say sorry for that. I know it was rushed. But it has been brought to my attention that I'm diverting from Draco and Hermione and I'm trying to remedy that. It's just with my OC's, there's a little more creative freedom, while I'm trying to fit the Hogwarts characters into their box so that they aren't OOC. So I'm going to have very little OC presence in the next few chapters to make up for it.
Love you all,
Skyroy