Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Prologue

Summer at the Burrow




The cool summer breeze welcomed Draco to his new 'home', at least until the new term started. He wasn't sure how Dumbledore had arrived at this ironic decision for him to spend the holidays at the Burrow. Draco loved tormenting Weasley but now, he had to put on his best conduct in front of all the Weasleys and Potter to boot. "Malfoy... Mrs Malfoy... do come in..." Ron said between gritted teeth as he ushered both Draco and his mother inside the Burrow. Harry shot Ron a nasty look in a bid to stifle his rude behaviour towards the Malfoys. "Thanks dear, I rather appreciate your family's kindness for having Draco over for the summer as I have to attend other businesses abroad ... liquidate our properties and such... it would be best if Draco doesn't accompany me... since we all know You-Know-Who's still out there ... " Narcissa said with a sense of grim bitterness in her voice. Ron was glowing red. Who would have thought that his greatest nemesis, the one he had grown to despise since he was a little kid, would now be seeking comfort in his very own home?! Harry could see that it would take a lot to break the emotional wall between Draco and Ron, and decided to make the first move to lighten up the already very tense atmosphere. "So, Draco... you'll be taking the attic... it's quite lovely in the summer actually... the view from the attic is really breath-taking..." Harry said a little nervous about how a normally 'well-taken-care-of' Malfoy would react to this. "Hmm... i like rooms with a scenic view..." Draco replied calmly as he made himself comfortable and slouched in one of the dinning table chairs. Mrs Weasley was preparing lunch in the kitchen and Narcissa was discussing general Ministry issues with Mr Weasley. A few minutes later, Narcissa joined Draco in the dining area and kissed him goodbye on the cheeks. She then apparated from the Burrow leaving Draco very much alone in his new surroundings. "So... where are your brothers?" Draco drawled while tapping his fingers on the dining table. 'Might as well make it bearable for the both of us... I'll try to give Weasley a break this hols...but then again... maybe a few hexes won't hurt...' Draco thought as he smirked. "Well, the twins have gone to join Charlie in Romania... Bill is still on a mission for Gringott's... and Percy... well he's at work right now... so that just leaves us and Ginny ... Hermione and Lodina will be arriving soon i reckon..."Ron said as a matter of factly, trying his best to ignore the fact that Draco irked him to the point of no return. "I see..." Draco muttered as wild thoughts of Lodina and him in the attic started whirling in his mind. Draco let out a small chuckle as he turned his back on Ron and Harry and took off with his luggage to make himself at home in the attic. Ron looked bewildered and cast Harry that 'I-don't-like-what-he's-up-to' look. "Oh get used to it Ron... Draco isn't such a dunderhead as you think he is... " Harry said when Draco was out of hearing-distance. He then moved off to the garden to help Ginny de-gnome it. Ron stared after his best friend in shock and confusion. "what has gotten into Harry?!" Ron muttered sinking into one of the dinning table chairs.

~-~

"Lunch is served... come and get it!" Mrs Weasley shouted to get the attention of Harry, Ginny, Hermione (who had arrived by floo powder shortly after Draco), Draco and Ron. All of them took their places at the dining table. Draco sat beside Pothead and made sure his seat on the right was empty. 'Why isn't she here yet?' Draco wondered as he stared down at the empty seat on his right. As if telepathically reading his mind, Lodina flooed into the fireplace near the dining table. "Hi Mrs Weasley! Sorry I'm late... had to do a lil' last minute packing..." Lodina blushed as she realised everyone was now staring at her soot covered robes. "It's alright dear... come have a seat... we can put your luggage up later... lunch is just being served... Scourgify!" Mrs Weasley cleaned the dust and soot off Lodina's robes and ushered her to the seat next to Draco's. Lodina's eyes met Draco's for the first time. There was a glimmer of happiness in hers but she couldn't read his expression. It was simply blank. 'The least he could do is smile at me...' Lodina thought gingerly as she sat slumped in her chair and started jabbing the steak on her plate with a fork. Draco smirked as he knew his indifferent behaviour towards Lodina was working on her nerves. Quietly, he muttered the Drakon communication spell "Drakonus Sonorum... hi Lodina... " Draco was dying to see if he could use the medallion to communicate with other Drakons as well. He had wanted very much to talk to Lodina this way and was eagerly waiting for the opportune moment to test it out on her. Lodina suddenly sat upright and glanced at Draco with her mouth wide open. 'He couldn't have... could he?' Lodina was shocked to say the least and was now drawing the attention of Ron and Hermione. Sensing that Draco might have used the Drakon communication spell on Lodina, Harry stifled his giggle by coughing under his breath. "I know Lodina... I couldn't believe it too... but it's true... Malfoy will be ruining our summer vacation at the Burrow..." Ron said dejectedly as he wore a pained expression on his face. "Ron!! He's your guest..." Hermione said with gritted teeth. "You're my guest too Hermione... but I treat you the same... why should Malfoy be any different?" Ron upped his tone getting agitated by Malfoy's prescence but Mrs Weasley shot Ron a murderous glance that hushed him for good. "So... you can hear me in your head then? That's interesting... you can communicate with me too you know... it's not just a one way thing... it's exactly like how you communicate with the Dragons..." Draco waited for Lodina's response to his new discovery. "Well... that wasn't very nice was it? Staring at me blankly, knowing very well that it's the first time i've seen in you in about a month! The least you could have done was smile Malfoy..." Lodina tried her best at sounding pissed off and looked away from Draco, concentrating on the meal in front of her. 'Damn it, now he's gonna haunt me in my thoughts too? At this rate, I'll never be able to concentrate on my school work once term starts!' Lodina thought to herself. "Aww... don't be so evil Dina... we're on surnames basis again? Just when I thought we could move onto pet names for each other..." Draco whined, just to annoy her. "Well, you should have thought about that first before you stared at me as if I were some alien or something... " Harry, Ron and Hermione had finished their lunch and were helping Mrs Weasley with the plates. Ginny joined them shortly afterwards leaving just the pair of them at the dining table. Before anyone returned, Draco quickly reached forward and pulled Lodina close to him. He kissed her briefly but thoroughly on the lips before returning back to his original position on the dining table and just in time too as Ron had come back to the table once more. Lodina was too shocked to respond to anything. "Lodina... you ok? you look as if you saw a Banshee... is Malfoy making you ill? I can take care of that ... permanently..." Ron said as he scowled at Malfoy. Draco stood up swiftly and turned towards Ron. "I can take you on anytime Weasley... just name me the time and place... " with that, Draco coolly walked off to the kitchen to pass Mrs Weasley his empty plate, leaving Lodina by herself and with nothing but her thoughts and Ron Weasley to keep her company. "Make sure you eat your steak fast... it's getting cold luv.... I'll see you later tonight..." Draco communicated with her once more before he cut off the Drakon connection he had with Lodina. 'I was wrong... This is turning out to be one interesting summer afterall...' Draco smirked as he climbed up the stairs to his attic-bedroom.

~-~

It was close to midnight and almost everyone in the Burrow were snug in bed. All except Lodina. She was fond of taking midnight baths. The baths were a habit she had inculcated since young. Whenever she had trouble sleeping, she'd have a nice relaxing bath in the long tub. It was also one of the rare times she got to reflect quietly. Tip-toeing through the corridor, Lodina finally reached the bathroom at the end of the second floor of the Burrow. Quietly, she locked herself inside the bathroom and slipped inside the hot tub sighing as she did so. It wasn't before long when Lodina's mind travelled to recount the events that had happened earlier that day, especially what happened at dinner. During dinner, Draco had slipped his hand underneath her skirt. Lodina couldn't concentrate on dinner at all. She was getting hot and wet thanks to Draco's stroking. She couldn't take it any longer and after much deliberation with her own conscience she finally took matters into her own hands, literally. Lodina giggled at that memory as she played with the bubbles in the bath tub. Just then, she heard an all too familiar voice resonating in her head once more.

"Care to share the joke Dina?" Draco communicated to Lodina using the Drakon connection spell once again. "Geez Draco... you scared me... at the rate you're mind-talking to me like this... i won't be able to have any privacy of my own..." Lodina said huskily as she blushed. she couldn't believe that Draco had interrupted her thoughts precisely when she was remembering their last 'escapade'. "privacy... hmm... that's relative... besides... i think it's good to check up on your girlfriend once in a while... just to make sure everything's alright... so what are you up to Lodina? what's keeping you awake?" Draco sniggered. Lodina blushed a deeper red as she muttered her reply, "Oh... nothing... i'm just up in my bed... thinking... that's all... really draco... if you really wanted to speak to me all you had to do was find me... speaking like this under the same roof is really absurd..." "you think so? hmm... i guess you're right..." Draco drawled. Just then, Lodina heard the door of the bathroom unlocking.

'Damn... where is my wand?? ' Lodina thought as she frantically tried to find a big enough object as her weapon. "Did i scare you?" Draco whispered softly as he now came into the light for her to see him clearly. He had followed her into the bathroom. He knew she was in here all this time and he was still trying to tease her. Lodina was surprised to see Draco. She had thought it was some other stranger and was ready to hit the stranger till she heard Draco's voice. In her hurry, Lodina had forgotten all about wrapping a towel around her as she got out of the tub and as a result, she was now fully naked in front of her lover. Upon realising the situation she was in, Lodina started to blush once more as she reached for a towel just beside the bath tub. "There's no need for that... not yet anyway... you were in the middle of having a bath weren't you? " Draco was now inches from Lodina and he could smell her vanilla/caramel flavoured bubble bath soap on her skin and hair. Lodina tried not to look him directly into his eyes. She was a sucker for his eyes. She would simply melt into those greenish grey eyes of his and never pull back to reality. Draco put one hand behind her back and pulled her closer to him in a tight embrace. "You should carry on with what you were doing luv... here... lemme help you... " Draco said as he swiftly carried her in his arms and lowered her into the bath tub once more. Lodina was still speechless. The man she loved was right there beside her while she was taking a bath. 'Would he join me? Or is he simply teasing me? Gosh, why is it i still don't trust him after all he has done for me? I'm still picturing him as this playboy... this seems soo much like a dream... Draco Malfoy falling for a girl like me...' Lodina thought as she was guided by Draco. She didn't want to get hurt again. And she couldn't help that she was crazy in love with Draco either. She just couldn't bring herself to admit that Draco loved her. It all seemed too easy and as much as she wanted to believe that he was only meant for her, she still felt that he could be using her for a one night stand. 'Gods... why am I thinking this?! Draco is my boyfriend... get a grip Lodina!' Lodina thought as she looked up into Draco's eyes for the first time in the bathroom. "What's the matter luv? You look kinda worn out... You want me to give you a massage?" Draco said as he put some soap lather on his hands and began massaging into Lodina's back. "Draco, you don't have to do this you know..." Lodina said as she turned around to face him. He was clad in his bath robes and was now kneeling just beside the bath tub. "What do ya mean?" Draco asked, puzzled. "Well... I dunno... it's just that... when i think of Pansy and then I think of us... it makes me feel like I'm not so special afterall... i mean you haven't really broken up with Pansy... " but before Lodina could finish, Draco plunged into a long and deep kiss. Draco pulled out of the kiss just to take in a sharp breath of air. "Lodina... it was over between Pansy and me since the day I met you... I love you... and don't think I'm doing this just for a one-night stand..." Draco said but was silenced by Lodina's soft sobs. "Ow, come on luv... don't cry... it's ok... it wasn't your fault for thinking that way... " Draco said as he patted Lodina's back to soothe her. 'how did i let myself think that way? He's soo different... i shouldn't suspect him anymore... it'd be doing him an injustice... ' Lodina thought as she slowly pulled away from Draco's reassuring arms and dried her tears. "Draco... would you like to join me?" Lodina asked meekly trying to avoid his gaze as she blushed some more. Draco put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up so that he could gaze into her beautiful eyes. "I thought you'd never ask..." he said as he removed his robe and joined her in the bath tub. In one fluid motion, Draco grabbed her close and set her between his thighs. Lodina could feel his manhood growing hard under her bum and choked out a soft giggle. "What's so funny?" Draco asked bewildered. 'First she was crying... now she's laughing? Women! Sheesh!' Draco thought as he longed to know what his girlfriend found soo amusing. "Oh... nothing... it's just... well... is that for me?" Lodina asked as she stroked him gently. Draco moaned and felt a tingling sensation course through his body. "Gods woman, don't stop... of course it's for you... it has always been..." Draco smirked as he rubbed against Lodina. Lodina gently tried to stroke him and suddenly she thought of something really wild and dirty. With a smirk, she placed a bubble-head charm on herself and went under-water. Lodina took in Draco's full shaft into her mouth and started applying deep heat. She could hear Draco's moans getting louder now as he started shouting her name in between moans. "Gods Dina... don't stop.... yessssssss...." Draco said as he climaxed and came into her mouth. Lodina surfaced from the soapy water and undid the charm on her head. She now had that evil grin on her face as she straddled him in the bath tub. "Honestly Dina... i never knew you had it in you... " Draco smirked but not before his mouth devoured Lodina's. He tasted every bit of her body with his tongue only pausing to suckle her breasts. Lodina moaned again as Draco sent tremors down her spine. She loved what Draco did to her and didn't want him to stop. Sensing her arousal, Draco slid open her folds and slit a finger inside of her as he started to carress her gently. "Oh yessss... Draco.... don't stop!!" Lodina said in between kisses as she moaned into his neck. Draco couldn't take it anymore. He was growing hard again and wanted to be inside of her as he came. "Lodina... i need to be inside you... if you don't want to do this... please tell me now... i can wait..." Draco said without stopping the rhythmic ministrations he was providing Lodina. Just looking at her flushed face made him grow hard again. "Draco... please... make love to me... " Lodina pleaded with him, looking deep into his eyes. Draco finally gave in, he whispered the contraceptive charm for Lodina and slowly thrust himself inside of her. He knew she was a virgin and he heard that it was painful for virgin girls especially. Draco moved in and out of her slowly. Lodina bucked her hips to allow him better access. "Draco... faster... please... " Lodina said in between gasps. With that, Draco thrust faster into her, moving further and further inside of her each time, until Lodina reached her climax. Draco climaxed soon after and collapsed on top of her in the bath tub. Draco didn't want to squish her with his bodyweight and so, rolled Lodina over so that she was now on top of him, lying on his chest. Both of them cuddled in that position for awhile before Draco finally spoke. "Lodina... luv... why were you taking a bath at this hour?" "Oh.. that... well... I usually take a long relaxing bath if I can't go to sleep... " Lodina said, eyes still closed as she lay on top of his well-toned chest. "oh... you couldn't go to sleep eh? well i know just what to do to make you sleep..."Draco sniggered as he kissed lodina on her forehead. "I'll just follow you to the bathroom when you can't sleep then..." Draco told Lodina cheekily. Thanks to Draco's cheeky retorts, Lodina was now fully awake. She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. "You know Draco... if you keep using that Medallion every now and then... i'll never be able to do well in school again... Promise me you'll only use it to contact me during an emergency... ok?" Lodina asked him huskily as she sent butterfly kisses down his neck and started nibbling on his left earlobe. Draco let out a low hiss as he replied reluctantly, "oh alright... but only if you promise to let me know the next time you can't fall asleep... " Draco smirked. "Honestly Draco... how am I to sleep if you're around?" Lodina teased his left earlobe once more. "oh.. that i can arrange... in fact... you won't need to take a bath anymore... a bed is more than enough... you'd be dead-tired by the time i'm done with you..."Draco replied in his sexy voice. Lodina giggled once more, only to be hushed by Draco's passionate kiss. Lodina fell asleep shortly after the kiss, on Draco's chest; her arms were wrapped tightly across his waist. Draco looked down at her face, memorising every detail of his one true love. It was then he realised he would do anything for this girl, even if it meant death...

**This post is dedicated to Lodina... hope you like it as much as I do... =)

**Author's note: Sorry this is coming out after four chapters .... I was contemplating on whether i should do a prologue... but finally decided that I should thanks to the insistence of Lodina... ;)

[Tonks was grooving to Nelly Furtado's Maneater | Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting ~ accomplished]

~Nymphadora~

10:15 PM

Monday, August 07, 2006

Chapter 4

What Have I Done?


"Dammit Potter... stop toying with me... you're testing my patience... what did you hear last night?" Draco asked Harry, determined to squeeze every bit of information out from him. "Relax Malfoy... i only heard both of you bickering alright? it was just odd that's all... coz i remember the last time i checked... both of you were lip-locked in the Burrow's basement..." Harry smirked when he said this. He hadn't seen Draco lose his cool before, and now that he had, he was going to make sure it wasn't the last time. "The only things i managed to actually make out were your goodbyes... i've never seen you lose your composure before Malfoy... i only wish i was right in front of you... your expression would have been priceless... " Harry said, not before he was cut short by Malfoy himself, muttering something to do with dunking Harry's head in a bowl of Bubotuber Pus. "Yeah, yeah... use a pensieve... it'll last longer..." with that he cut off the connection with Harry. 'The dimwit doesn't know what he's dealing with... ' Draco thought bitterly, relieved at the same time that the only real 'friend' he has ever had, hadn't found out the truth. He hated Potter but his trusting nature was what made Malfoy change his heart towards Pothead. Draco simply couldn't bring himself to break Harry's heart. He knew why Ginny had avoided Potter all this time and he hated himself for being part of the cause of her acting that way. Draco cursed under his breath as he swore once again that whoever had poured that potion into his Mai Tais would suffer severely for his/her actions. Draco stormed off to his dormitories feeling disgusted. He had let himself become vulnerable, and Malfoys were never vulnerable or susceptible to the effects of a curse of any kind. He heaved a deep sigh before he drank all of the contents of his flask by his bedside and plonked himself on his bed, willing himself to sleep and forget all that had happened.

~-~

The usual owl- post the following morning had arrived. Two of the school's express owls had landed just in front of Lodina and she was beginning to untie the parcel which was attached to their claws. Giving them each a knut, Lodina frantically tried to rip off the brown wrapping of the parcel. 'The book's arrived! Oh thank god...' Lodina thought as she held the book under her right arm and stood up to leave without having eaten any breakfast at all! 'Maybe if I hurry I can read up some stuff about the curse before Care for Magical Creatures...' thought Lodina as she hurried out of the hall.

"Hey, Dina!! Where are you going??! You haven't had any breakfast!" Ginny called out at her, half-exasperated, as she longed to know what made Lodina skip breakfast altogether, seeing that it was the only proper meal she had these days. Lodina seemed very distracted lately and Ginny could feel it. Ever since the start of term, she noticed Lodina get stiff everytime she mentioned anything to do with Slytherin. That was odd, since Lodina always remained calm and composed even when a Slytherin tried to pick on her. In fact, she was a bigger 'bully' than they were, seeing that her hexes were always well-placed and the same Slytherin never bullied her twice in a row. And then there was Malfoy. Why did he have to complicate things between Harry and her? She had been perfectly in love with Harry until the Welcome Feast when she started to develop new feelings for Malfoy as well. Harry had asked her out for the first Hogsmeade weekend and she had actually turned it down. She wasn't uncomfortable around Harry. She was more afraid. Afraid that her darkest secret might somehow escape and hurt Harry in the process. She had always loved him. Not the school-girl crush which half the population at Hoogwarts had over Harry. No. She had always loved him sincerely with all her heart. She loved the Harry Potter that no one saw. It was the quiet, shy and raw Harry that had stolen her heart, not the front-page news Harry Potter a.k.a the 'boy-who-lived'. And yet, amidst all the love she had for Harry, a new feeling of lust started breeding in her heart. A deep sense of longing, carnal lust even, for Draco Malfoy. Why she started feeling this, she had no idea. It all started with a simple kiss. She was sure that if Draco hadn't left her standing bewildered, she would have gone all the way with Malfoy and would live to regret every moment of it later. She was soo physically attracted to Malfoy that it started to scare her. Ginny shot a glance at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy starting to leave the table. 'I must not look at that slimy git... I must not look at that slimy git...' Ginny tried to will herself to look away but alas, it was to no avail.

"Gin, are you alright? For that matter, are 'WE' alright Gin? I really don't know what you're feeling these days... you can talk to me you know... I'll be glad to listen to you... work things out... " Harry asked, looking downcast as he did. "Oh..." Ginny jumped with a start. She had not realised that Harry had sat next to her and was observing her through breakfast. "Harry... of course we're alright... I love you... i always will... I'm just feeling a lil' sick... must be all those chocolate frogs i had last night... perhaps I'll head over to Madam Pomfrey now... she'll know what to do..." Ginny said as she abruptly stood up. "Do you want me to come with you?" Harry asked, hoping that she'd say yes. "It's ok Harry. I can manage..." Ginny said as she turned to leave the Great Hall. Had she turned to look back, she would have seen a dejected Harry staring after her.

~-~

Draco saw Lodina hurry off after obtaining her owlpost. 'She must have got the book...' Draco thought as he stood up to follow Lodina to the Gryffindor Common Room. He was rather hoping he'd catch her before she entered the Gryffindor Common Room, seeing that it was broad daylight and his prescence might draw suspiscions from the Gryffindor camp. With that, he quickened his pace. He half expected Lodina to give him the cold shoulder as she has been successfully doing for quite some time now. 'Maybe she hates me now?' Draco thought meekly as he faltered in his step and nearly tripped over the moving staricase that led to the Gryffindor Tower. Draco couldn't control the lust he felt for Ginny. He knew the feeling was getting stronger by the minute. But like Ginny, he was scared of these new feelings. For the first time in his entire life, Draco Malfoy was scared of losing someone close to him. There were no words to describe the feeling of bliss he had with Lodina and similarly the light-heartedness he felt whenever he 'tormented' Potter. And now that he had found them, he was beginning to lose them all thanks to his 'vulnerability'.

Draco rounded the corridor bend that led to the Gryffindor Tower just in time to see Lodina enter it. 'Drats... ' he muttered under his breathe as he hid behind the bend for fear of being discovered 'lurking' around Gryffindor territory. Just then, he heard footsteps closing in behind him. It was too late for him to hide now, so he figured that he might as well cook up some excuse and scowl at whoever approached him. His scowl always worked, especially on the Gryffindors. Draco whipped round to face the person behind him. He took in a sharp breathe as he saw who it was in front of him.

"You... what are you doing here? You shouldn't make it a habit of following me around... your precious boyfriend would be wondering where you go off to everytime you try to find me...." Draco sneered at a wide-eyed Ginny Weasley. "I..." Ginny was lost for words. Under usual circumstances she would have a retort ready at hand for any Slytherin courageous enough to have a row with her. But she couldn't this time. She melted in those deep greyish-green eyes of his and was now lost for words. She was just inches from his face now, and if she reached just a bit further she could kiss him square on the lips. 'Wait.. why am I thinking this? What am i doing here? I'm in love with Harry... ' Ginny thought as she tried to think up of an excuse. "I know why you're here Ginny..." Draco said after a few seconds of silence. His silvery blonde hair was now covering his eyes and his expression was hard to read. Ginny felt a wave of animal lust sweep over her. 'Damn! He looks so sexy when he's serious...' Ginny thought as she bit her lip. "And why do you think I'm here then Malfoy?" Ginny said in a husky whisper, finally breaking her dumbfounded-streak whenever she was in the vicinity of Draco. "To do this..." Draco said as he reached forward, cupped her cheeks and gently placed his lips on hers. Draco devoured her mouth and tasted every bit of her palot. What started out as a gentle kiss, was now a heated display of passion, overwhelming both Draco and Ginny. Just before he pulled out of the kiss, Draco sucked on Ginny's lower lip, where it was bleeding just a few seconds ago when she bit it. Ginny moaned in pleasure. She curled her fingers in his soft hair and was now grinding him in a rhythmic fashion. Draco could feel himself get hot inside his pants, he wanted to be inside of Ginny at that moment. Sensing his arousal, Ginny bit his left earlobe. It was now Draco's turn to moan. But it was short-lived. Lodina had always loved to nibble on his left earlobe and when Ginny had done so, a pang of guilt jolted through his body as he stiffened abruptly."Lodina..." he whispered softly and straightened himself up. "What? What did you say? What's wrong Draco?" Ginny said as Draco pulled out of her embrace. "We can't do this Ginny... I have to go now... I need to be at Potions..." Draco said crisply before turning on his heel and heading off towards the Slytherin Dungeons. "What have I done?" Draco thought numbly as he fumbled through the Slytherin Portrait hole into the Slytherin Common room.

~-~

Lodina decided to call off sick for her first lesson of the day, Care for Magical Creatures. She was sure Hagrid would understand anyway. Without further adue, she picked up her father's book and began to read from cover to cover. 'Aphrodite's Curse... come on... where is it.... ' Lodina thought as the need for finding any information on the curse grew more urgent than ever. 'What if he falls out of love with me after we get the spell reversed?' thoughts were swirling in her head. She willed herself to remain focus on her task. Her hope and faith in their love were the only things which made her determined to find the cure. She did fear for the worse though. In the event that Draco had fallen out of love with her even after the spell was broken, what would she do? For spending so much time on dwelling on that particular possibility, it was rather ironic that she was certainly not giving two hoots about what she planned to do if it really were the case. She wanted her Draco back and she was going to do all it took to get him back.

Finally after much flipping she finally found the cure under the "Irreversible Curses" section. 'Irreversible??' Lodina thought shakily as she read out softly from the Ancient Book of Spells. "The Aphrodite's Curse also known as the Werewolves' Call for Love, is an irreversible spell if performed on a full moon..." Lodina read on skiming through the parts she already knew. "The Antidote to the spell requires an intricate potion which needs a fortnight to brew..." Lodina read through the ingredients needed for the potion and was surprised that it was fairly easy to make. The only 'unusual' ingredients she needed was a lock of hair from Draco and Ginny. That's fairly easy to obtain...i don't have much time though... the next full moon's in three weeks... ' Lodina said as she read on further. "The potion must be drunk by both parties on the eve of the next full moon, 3 hours shy from midnight... and must be ended with a kiss from both parties... " 'Oh, you've got to be joking... they've got to kiss? AGAIN?! Who thought of this antidote in the first place?! ' Lodina thought to herself as she pursed her lips in rage and frustration. 'But the next full moon's on the Halloween Ball... I guess I know who Draco will be taking with him to the ball... ' Lodina sulked as she resigned to her fate of a date-less night at the Halloween Ball. Just then, she heard a soft pecking noise from outside the window sill. It was Draco's huge Black owl. She had always loved his owl. His owl had a mysterious aura around him, needless to say, just like Draco himself. She opened the window and allowed the bird to stretch it's wings as she untied the note from the bottom of it's claws. With a friendly hoot and with a final regal poise, the owl took flight again. Lodina unfolded the note and read from it. The handwriting was all too familiar.

Dearest Lodina,

I know you're still mad at me for doing all that I did. But I just want to talk to you. Please meet me at the lake in 10 minutes. I'll be waiting. I will always love you, Lodina, for all eternity.

Love,
Draco

'Just what was he playing at?' Lodina thought as she re-read the letter once more. Down at the lake, she saw Draco walking alongside the lake with his huge black owl perched on his right shoulder. She couldn't help but stare for a moment or two. She loved the way he was deep in thought. With a huge sigh and a heavy heart, Lodina decided it was best she meet him anyway, seeing that she could probably use his help to brew the potion.

~-~

Lodina was now walking along the lake looking for Draco. 'He was just here 5 minutes ago... where has he gone to?' she wondered as she walked the perimeter of the lake. Just then, a large, strong hand pulled her waist and whipped her around. "There you are... I was wondering if you'd show up at all...." Lodina was shocked as she registered the face of the person standing in front of her... "You? I saw Draco over here 5 minutes ago... How did you...?" Lodina whimpered as he used his brute force and tightly held both her hands round her back so that she couldn't move. "Ahh... that... my little 'Gryffindor Princess' is Dark Magic you will never know... It works something like the muggle invention, Holograms. Where did you think the word 'Hologram' came from? I used the spell of deception, the Hologratis, to send a school barn owl up... Made it look like his owl didn't I? And when you saw me down at the lake... I made sure the Hologratis was cast on me first... you silly little whore... he can't hear you... he's almost passed out ... i made sure of that... by putting some elven wine in his flask, up in his dormitory... you have no where to run... no where to hide... no one to turn for help... don't bother screaming... coz' the Hologratis spell is cast right over us now... we look like a couple of lovebirds making out near the lake..." He paused as he saw the look of horror in Lodina's face and smirked. "But how could it be? There were no survivors... were there?" Lodina was now trembling in his arms and for the first time in her life, she felt helpless even with a wand by her side. She was still in too much shock to even react to anything that happened next. "Stillatus!" he bellowed and smiled at her now still body and sneered. "That's what you thought... you overconfident Gryffindor whore... but no matter... i can teach you how to obey... and instill some 'discipline' while we're at it... " he sniggered as he held her by her legs and threw her body over his shoulders, carrying her like a sling bag. He then walked through the darkness that engulfed the Forbidden Forest...


[Tonks was grooving to Danny Elfman's Jack's Lament | Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting ~ creative]

~Nymphadora~

8:34 PM

Friday, July 28, 2006

Chapter 3

A Werewolf's Call For Love



"I said... do you or do you not know of the Aphrodite's Curse... It's a simple question really... just a yes or a no will do... quit gaping like that Malfoy..." Hermione said in a bid to snap Draco back to reality. Draco did know of the Aphrodite's Curse, but just vaguely. He couldn't be bound by the curse could he? "Yea I do know a little about it.... My father told me a lil' abt what it does... what about it Hermione? this potion's the Aphrodite's Curse?" Draco sounded uneasy and Hermione could tell that he was not going to like what she had just learnt. "Malfoy... Draco... is there something you'd like to tell me regarding this? like why you want to know soo much abt this potion? I can help you... Harry will be most willing to help you as well... after what you did at the Manor a few months ago... I'm sure even Ron would..."before Hermione could finish, she was cut off by a now highly agitated Malfoy. But somehow, she could sense that he was more worried than anything else, for his deep greyish green eyes told a different story. "Hermione... I really need to know how this potion works... the side effects etc... and no... i assure you i'm not in any danger... neither am i going to use this potion for my own personal gain... so can we please hurry this up a bit? I've got Seeker practice later on... " Draco pushed Hermione for the answers he was longing to obtain. "ok Draco... but I want you to know...my offer still stands...anyway... Aphrodite's Curse is a very powerful love potion... The power of this potion depends on when the drinker drinks this potion... as well as, how long ago the potion has been brewed ... " Draco shifted uneasily as Hermione related this to him, but nonetheless paid close attention to what she had to say. "The closer it is to the full moon... the stronger the effects would be and harder to reverse at that... if the drinker drinks this potion on the full moon, however... the spell of the love potion cannot be broken except by death of either party..." "wait... Hermione... you're telling me... this potion has got to do with the full moon? which crazy prick would think of following the full moon for a love potion?!" Draco flared as he attempted to kick the wall on which he was leaning on. "That would be the werewolves... the werewolves found it difficult to find themselves a mate... and so... one of the werewolves... William Fanghorn coerced with Salazar Slytherin and came up with a powerful love potion... the Aphrodite's Curse... this of course happened ages ago... before the Great Slytherin War... the use of the potion has since been banned... and there has been no cases of anyone drinking the potion ever since... " Draco seemed nonplussed, but just before Hermione could say anything further, Draco butted in. "How can it be broken by death from either party when only one person drinks the potion? shouldn't it affect only the person drinking it?" Draco asked, still trying to devour what he had just learnt. "Ah... well... that's where the cursed bit comes in... Godric Gryffindor as well as some of the Dragon leaders of Drakonia had found out Slytherin's plan to breed more werewolves by the use of this potion... hence they placed a curse on it... they were far too late to stop the werewolves from using the potion when they had finally heard wind of what Slytherin was up to... so they ensured... that when the werwolves did find their mate and use this potion on their mates... the drinkers of the potion would immediately kiss the person who made them drink the potion in the first place... thereby rendering the werewolves themselves defenseless and crippled by the power of their own potion... this was a clever trick as the werewolves brewed the potions themselves and had to add a strand of their hair as the final ingredient for the potion to work..." Hermione finished, her eyes still transfixed upon Draco as she was attempting to decipher Draco's thoughts. "so the person who wants the drinker to fall in love with him/her should add a strand of their hair into the potion then?" Draco asked. 'How can that be? Ginny drugged my Mai Tais? I thought she loved Potter?' A million questions flooded Draco's mind as he awaited Hermione's reply. "Well yes... oh... and there's a little time limit for the potion as well.... supposing the drinker drinks this potion before the full moon.... both parties can still reverse the effect only up till the coming full moon... and once it is the full moon... the potion cannot be reversed... and the spell becomes permanent... the only way to break the spell then, is by death... " Hermione finished, bracing herself for more questions to come. "ok... so how do we reverse the effects of this potion Hermione?" "well... i'm not sure exactly... i've searched the library... even the restricted section... and not a single book tells of how to reverse the spell..." Hermione finished with a sort of finality in her voice. She had to consult Professor Freakency regarding her Arithmancy assignment and at the rate she was going, she was going to be late for sure. "all right then... thanx Hermione... and don't... i know you're itching to tell Pothead and Weaselboy... but think about the consequences first... unless you wouldn't mind me letting slip to our favourite Professor Snape that Oliver Wood comes up into your room illegally at least two times a week... by all means... tell Pothead and his weaselboy all you know..." Draco smirked as he knew that he had struck at a sensitive nerve. "How did you... that's blackmail.... " Hermione stuttered in a bid to retort, but it was in vain for shock had overwhelmed her so. "A Malfoy knows how to get the information he needs Granger... besides... it was more of a bargain rather than blackmail... but rest assured Granger... I'll honour my word when i say i owe you one... good day to you..." Draco replied with a smirk as he left a dumbfounded Hermione staring back after him in a deserted corridor.

~-~

Was it the full moon when he had drunk the potion? and why would Ginny possibly drug his Mai Tais? A million and one questions bombarded Draco's mind. He also knew that he had to consult Lodina and tell her everthing he knew. Part of him wanted to be truthful to her and let her know the current situation they were both faced with. However, part of him also wanted to leave Lodina out of this and solve the problem on his own. 'This is precisely the attitude that would lose you the girl Malfoy' Draco's conscience got the better of him as he decided that he would have a 'nice' long talk with Dina after his Quidditch training. On top of all of this, he had his OWLs and quidditch games to worry about. 'I need to take a loooong holiday after all of this...' Draco thought quickly changed into his quidditch robes and summoned his Nimbus 2001 by his side. He was grateful for these quidditch sessions as these were the only times he could be free and relaxed...

~-~

"Hi Tonks! Is my dad in? I need to get a book from the library... i was hoping he could find it for me... " Lodina said through the floo network. The first thing that came to her mind after seeing Draco leave was to find that book of ancient magic spells her father had in the library; so without further adue, Lodina had found an appropriate timein the Gryffindor Common Room when all the other Gryffindors were fast asleep, to talk to her father regarding the book using the floo powder. "It's ok dear... you can tell me.. I can get the book for you... Sirius is out for a walk... he's been cooped up in this house not being able to do anything 'worthwhile' for the order... so he's a lil' frustrated right now..." Tonks replied with a slight grin on her face. Lodina loved Tonks' fashion sense. It was to say the least, funky and even cool! Ever since Tonks had entered her father's life and hers as well, things seemed brighter. Of course, it didn't hurt that Tonks did have a perky and bubbly personality and was such a joy to be around with. "Well ok then... it's the book of ancient magic spells... by Newt Salamander... could you find it for me? and perhaps deliver it via owl-mail? Thanx Tonks... and send my regards to daddy too..." Lodina said as she ended the conversation with her going- to- be Step-mother. "So who is that lady with pink hair Dina?" a familiar voice called out from behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see Draco for a moment. 'How much had he heard?' she wondered to herself. "oh... she's my dad's fiance'... and what are you doing here Malfoy?" Lodina confronted Draco, sounding very formal. He did look extremely hot in his leather pants and quidditch robes and Lodina tried her best not to ogle at his well-toned muscles. It pained her so much to act indifferently around him, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to take the emotional torture should it come to the worse. She was simply protecting herself from getting hurt, wasn't she? Lodina wasn't sure of the things she was doing anymore. Her grades in school were slipping and she was becoming increasingly distracted from everything that she had been undertaking. Truth be told, she could not get Draco off her mind no matter how hard she tried. "So i'm Malfoy now eh?" Lodina could sense the hurt in his voice but willed herself to remain strong. "I just came in here after quidditch practice to let you know of what i've found out about the potion... I think it's best we sit... perhaps some Butterbeer would be in order... " Draco summoned two cans of butterbeer as he motioned for Lodina to sit by the fire. He then narrated what he had learnt from Hermione in the afternoon to her. Lodina was deeply saddened by what she had heard from Draco. She wasn't shocked by what he had told her as she half expected it to be a love potion in any case. However, deep in her heart she had hoped that it wasn't a love potion. Learning the outcome of the Ahprodite's Curse only strengthened the need for her to get that book of ancient spells as soon as possible. "Well... i guess we should break the news to Ginny as well... don't you think? since she is a victim in this episode as well..." before Lodina could finish her sentence, she was cut off abruptly by Draco. "No... she shouldn't know... don't you understand Dina? What if she was the one who prepared the potion? The potion had to have a strand of her hair for it to work..." this time, it was Draco's turn to be cut off. "You can't possibly think that Ginny WANTED to make this potion... That's simply absurd... i mean Ginny would never ..." "We're keeping this within ourselves Dina... that's final..." Hearing the finality in his voice, Lodina decided that it was best not to argue with Draco. She didn't have the stamina left anyway to last through another quarrel. "Fine... I won't tell Ginny... I will look into my dad's book of spells to see if i can find any information about an antidote to reverse the spell... I'll let you know when i find one Malfoy..." "ok... good... oh by the way... Was the night we had our welcome feast a full moon?" Draco asked with a sense of urgency in his voice... "No... it wasn't... strangely enough though... it was the Lunar solstice... it happens once every ten years... not many people know about it... It happens when the planet Venus blocks the moon completely... people usually think it's a full moon they're seeing when they look up into the sky... but in actual fact... it's the planet Venus... which is slightly bigger than the moon when seen with the naked eye... so technically we have one more month till the next full moon to reverse this spell..." Lodina replied knowing Draco's intention for his last question. "It's rather late... I think you should be getting back to your dormitory Malfoy..." Lodina said, hoping Draco could sense that she didn't want him staying in the Gryffindor common room any longer. She couldn't bring herself to see his face without crying her eyes out about the decision she'd taken, for she loved him too damn much. Sensing that Lodina wanted him gone, Draco started to say his goodbyes but not before someone had heard their bickering. Harry was naturally a light sleeper and was now wide awake from all the racket Lodina and Draco were making in the Common Room. Quietly, he tip-toed to the top of the staricase just to get a good glimpse of what was going on. Fortunately for them though, Harry had only heard their goodbyes. He quickly tip-toed back to bed to avoid getting caught. 'They do sound hostile though... I wonder what's up..' Harry thought as he willed himself to sleep once more...

~-~

A couple of days had passed and it was now time for the first quidditch match of the season. Gryffindor was to play against Slytherin. The whole school was excited as a Gryffindor/Slytherin match had always been an exciting one, not to be missed. The crowds were cheering wildly and the mascots, the Gryffindor and Slytherin House Dragons, were now up and about entertaining the crowd with their antics. Madam Hooch finally blew the whistle and both the teams kicked off from the ground in a speedy start. Minutes into the match, both Harry and Draco spotted the snitch. Both of them made spectacular dives, but something strange happened. Draco knew that Harry was one who never had any doubts when playing quidditch, yet something seemed wrong with Harry that day and he wasn't playing with his soul. Harry pulled out of the dive too early and because of that, Draco managed to catch the snitch instead. 'What's wrong with Pothead? He never makes a wrong decision when catching the snitch?! ' Draco thought as he was now being carried by his team mates. A downcast and dejected Gryffindor quidditch team headed for the bleachers as the crowd went frenzy. The Slytherins were cheering happily, while the other houses looked terribly downcast as it was a Slytherin victory. Harry had never failed to catch the snitch and Draco was now curious as to why Harry wasn't playing at his best. Something seemed to distract him and he was curious more than ever to find out what it was that distracted the Boy-Who-Lived....

Clutching the Dragon's seal from under his quidditch robes, Draco muttered the communication spell and entered Harry's thoughts once more. "Pothead... why so glum? It wasn't you who was flying today... you were a different person... not that i'm saddened by my victory of course... quite the contrary.... but it irritates me to know that you could have flewn better and that i've only defeated Gryffindor coz' it's 'star' seeker was distracted... not like i couldn't have beaten you when you weren't as distracted as today... but.. oh hell... you get the picture... what's up then?" Draco communicated, eagerly waiting for Harry's reply, snitch still tightly grasped in his other hand. "you know... I'm starting to regret giving you that Medallion Malfoy... in any case, it was nothing... Ginny and I haven't been hitting it off at all since the start of school... i wonder what's wrong with her... I don't know what I've done wrong... but she tries to get away from me every time i go near her... i want to make things better... but i'm at a loss of what to do right now....anyway, enough about me... I should be asking you that same question Malfoy... since when did Dina start addressing you by 'Malfoy' and not Draco or luv anymore eh?" Harry said with a smirk, not knowing what he was roping himself into. 'Oh damn! how did he know about that?' Draco thought as he found that he was at a loss and didn't know how to respond to Harry. He was feeling guilty about Harry's situation seeing that it was partly his fault that Ginny had acted the way she did towards Harry. Without realising he'd accidentally let go of the snitch, Draco inquired further. "How much do you know Pothead? Spill it now or I'll let the magazines and newspapers in on a lil' juicy gossip about the Boy-Who-Lived..." Draco said still shocked and curious about how much Harry knew about his encounter with Aphrodite's Curse...


~Nymphadora~


[Tonks was grooving to Korn's Slept So Long | Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting ~ cynical]

9:17 PM

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Chapter 2

Aphrodite's Curse




Ginny felt tingly all over. She never knew a kiss from Draco could be so sinful yet captivating all the same. She didn't love Draco the way she loved Harry. No, definitely not. But there was some sort of animal magnetism between them. She lusted for him, but felt no love for him. Was that even possible? Ginny's head was throbbing from all the thinking she was doing. She thought it best to seek comfort from her best friend Lodina. Ginny hurried to the Gryffindor dormitories to find her only source of comfort.

"Dina! I've been looking all over for you!" Ginny exclaimed in relief as she reached forward and gave Lodina a friendly hug. Lodina didn't reciprocate the hug but Ginny was too eager to explain everything that had happened earlier to even notice the change in Lodina's hospitality. Ginny and Lodina shared the same room and thus, had the room all to themselves. Quickly, Ginny ushered Lodina to her bed-side, swung the curtains to screen out the scenary from the windows and started unravelling the day's events to Lodina. Lodina tried very hard to remain calm but tears began to well up in her eyes. Fortunately, Ginny was still too dazed by what had happened to notice anything amiss with Lodina. "He just kissed me Dina! I didn't know how to respond! I mean i enjoyed it... it was oddly satisfying... but i knew it was wrong... i love Harry, Dina... but i don't know why i'm starting to feel things for that Malfoy git too... it's all soo confusing right now... i wish i don't have to see Malfoy ever again.... he just took off after saying those words to me! i mean what was a girl like me expected to do in that kind of a situation? and right after he said that... he walked away so fast... i don't know what to think anymore Dina... What was he thinking?"Ginny said as she slumped back down on her bed. Lodina heaved a heavy sigh before she answered Ginny. She didn't want to look at Ginny in the eye for fear of revealing more than she intended to. "Gin, I really don't know what Malfoy was thinking at that point of time... I have no clue as to what made him say those words to you... i mean he may not have known what he was doing since he was drunk..." Lodina started but was quickly cut off by Ginny. "How did you know he was drunk?" Ginny asked meticuluously as her eyes narrowed. "Oh... i mean him being drunk could be the only possible reason right? i was just making a suggestion Gin... " Lodina covered her tracks as she waited for Ginny's nod of acceptance. Lodina couldn't believe she was still sticking up for Draco. Perhaps that was her own concocted alliby to keep herself from getting hurt some more. But the truth was still inevitable. Drunk or not, Draco did kiss her best friend and whatsmore, he told her he loved her! Accepting Lodina's cover-up, Ginny merely shrugged and slumped back onto her bed. "I suppose you're right Dina... i did smell some sort of alcohol in his breath when he kissed me... but i tasted something else too... something sweet ... it tasted a lot like cocoa.... only more intoxicating... anyway Dina... I'm exhausted right now... i think i'm going to hit the sacks.... I'll see you in the morning... and Dina... thanks for everything... " Ginny smiled as she pulled the covers of her bed sheet over her head. She needed all the sleep she could get. She figured things would be alright in the morning and slowly drifted off to sleep with the happy thought that she'd get to see Harry at breakfast.

~-~

Lodina couldn't sleep. Her best friend had just sought comfort for something that hurt her more than anything in this world and yet who was to comfort her? She couldn't possibly go to Harry as it might break his heart to learn the truth about his Ginny. It was already late at night and almost all of the students were fast asleep. Lodina paced the Gryffindor common room in the hope of getting some answers but to no avail. Just then, the portrait hole swung open.

"I distinctly remember us having a date tonight at my chambers... What held you up luv?" Draco drawled as he straightened himself up and out of the portrait hole, leaning against the wall. "Oh... nothing... Ginny was confused... and she needed me to be there... so yea... i couldn't go over..." Lodina said determined to not make eye contact with Draco. Unfortunately, her tactic didn't work this time around. Draco new something was amiss. He went over to Lodina and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Don't... Don't come any closer Draco... you disgust me... just how many people have you been snogging in deserted staircase landings? I trusted you... and this is what you do behind my back?" Lodina glowered as she shrugged off Draco's arm and retreated backwards. "you didn't... Ginny told you? but why would she? unless... you didn't tell her about us Dina? but why? I thought we agreed that you would tell the others..." Draco started off but was immediately cut off by Lodina who was now holding out her wand arm, wand outstretched. "You're missing the point totally Draco... You kissed her! and you told her you love her! Why did you lie to me?" "Dina... just put the wand down... I'll explain everything right now..." Draco said as he placed a silencing charm around the common room so that none of the Gryffindors would hear their bickering in the middle of the night. "Alright Draco... I loved you... and I still do... for that reason alone, I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself... you have 2 minutes... but the wand stays where it is... I'm not putting my wand down...." Lodina said with a sort of finality in her voice. Deep inside of her, she wanted to believe Draco's explanation, but her mind said otherwise. "Alright Dina... you can keep pointing the wand at me... but can we at least have a seat?" Draco asked as he ushered Lodina to one of the Gryffindor couches and started unfolding the day's events.

"You said you loved her, but you didn't mean it? Draco... what were you playing at? Have you gone mental?!" Lodina lashed out in sheer anger and frustration. "No Dina... you don't understand... I love you... nothing and no one can ever change that... but this feeling i have for Ginny... i can safely say it's artificial... it's not like what we have... it's something different... things started to become topsy turvy right after my second drink of Mai Tai at the Welcome Feast... I don't understand why..." Draco said while studying Lodina's expressions carefully. A sudden wave of nausea swept over Lodina as she realised what could have made Draco act the way he did. "Draco... do you remember how that Mai Tai tasted? Was there some sort of cocoa blend to it? You've got to remember Draco... I think someone could have drugged you with a dose of love potion... " Lodina said as the anger and frustration that had built up within her earlier slowly subsided. "I can't remember luv... but cocoa you say? what makes you so sure it's a love potion then? Love potions usually have a sort of bitter taste to them... cocoa's sweet, am I wrong? how could it have been a love potion?" Draco asked, perplexed. "I don't know for sure Draco but I'm going to find out.... and I'm sorry for acting so irrationally just now Draco... I was just..." but before Lodina could finish her sentence, Draco pulled her close for a hot and passionate kiss. His hands started to wonder along the soft curves of her body until he finally cupped her bum. Lodina pushed away from the kiss suddenly looking downcast once more. "What's wrong luv?" Draco asked still puzzled as to why she pulled out of the kiss. "Nothing Draco... It's just... I don't feel comfortable doing this anymore... not when i know you may have feelings for my best friend... i think we should take a break for awhile... at least until we can sort this out... after we find your antidote... maybe then we could try to pick up the pieces..." a tear escaped from Lodina's eyes and Draco motioned to wipe her eyes dry, but was stopped by Lodina herself. "Don't Draco... I love you and as painful as this is for me... i know i have to do this... I can't concentrate on helping you while knowing that you might be cheating behind my back... I can't ... " Lodina said as she moved away abruptly from Draco's embrace. Draco took the cue and turned to leave the common room. Just before he left the portrait hole however, he turned back to see his Lodina once more. "Just know this Dina... I love you.. and nothing can change that... not even the most ancient of love potions would be able to erase the love i have for you... and i swear... i will make the insufferable prick who did this pay dearly... for now i will do as you wish... but it will only cause great pain to the both of us..." having said this, Lodina let out a soft whimper as another tear rolled down her cheeks. She shut her eyes tightly for she couldn't bear to see Draco leave. "I love you Dina..." Draco said as he closed the portrait hole shut leaving a weeping Lodina huddled up in the Gryffindor common room.

~-~

'A love potion? nah... it couldn't be... could it?' As far as he knew, love potions didn't taste anything like cocoa; plus he would have recognised it from the smell immediately. 'It must be something else...' Draco thought out loud as he paced up and down his room. He wanted to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible so that things with Lodina could be back to normal. If it was a love potion, he'd have to start searching the books of the Hogwarts library as to which type of love potion it could have been. But there are trillions of books in the library! Just where should he start first? Deciding that he shouldn't waste any time, Draco finally decided to seek someone's help. Someone he was sure knew the Hogwarts Library inside out.

~-~

"Granger... how are you this morning? It is a lovely sunny day... what are you doing indoors on a day such as this? Not picking up after Longbottom are we?" Draco smirked as he rounded off Hermione just after breakfast the next day. "Ah, Malfoy... to what do I owe the displeasure of your company then?" Hermione returned his smirk with a friendly wave. "Oh nothing... it's just that i need a favour..." Draco said in hushed tones such that Hermione thought she had heard wrong. "Come again? Did YOU, THE DRACO MALFOY, ask ME, the so-called 'Mudblood' a favour?? I'm sorry... tell me i heard wrong Malfoy..." Hermione blinked in shock. Draco was half surprised Hermione had refered to herself as a 'mudblood' but decided that there were more pressing issues at hand to attend to instead of mulling over that. "Yes.... I asked you for a favour alright...don't wear it out... it's really important... and i know you as good as live in that library... so could you do me a favour?" Draco was persistent and Hermione sensed the urgency in his voice. Deciding against pursuing the real crux of why Malfoy had gone to her for help, Hermione lent Malfoy a listening ear as he told her what he was looking for. "So let me get this straight.... you want me to look up the books for this supposed 'love potion' ... and tell you what it does?" Hermione held Draco's gaze. "Yes... let's just take it as I owe you a favour as of now shall we? oh and Granger... do keep this a secret... I don't want Pothead and Weaselboy to know about this..." Draco said with a stern finality in his voice as he walked away, not hearing Hermione's reply to what he had just said.

Draco marched off for Potions Class, his favourite class of the day. Seeing that it was Potter's least favourite class made Draco all the more inclined to tick him off under Snape's nose. But today was different. He needed to talk to Potter, but with the piles of homework they've been getting in preparation for their OWLs, Draco hardly saw Harry other than in class. Clutching the Dragon's seal, Draco muttered the communication spell and connected with Harry's mind. "Hello Pothead... you're mixing up the eye of newt with the scarab beetle shell... something seems to be getting under your skin... " Draco smirked as he glanced over at Harry's cauldron. "what do you want Malfoy?" Harry grimaced as he quickly replaced his scarab beetle shell with the eye of newt. "Oh nothing... well.. i was just wondering... how you would take it if someone snogged your precious little red head behind your back?" Draco deepened his grin as he watched Harry's fists clench tightly together. "What do you mean Malfoy... what did you do to Ginny??" Harry glowered as he turned red with anger. "Potter, why are you staring across the classroom? Are the instructions for the concoction of this potion written on the windows perhaps? Ten points from Gryffindor... get back to work Potter..." Snape drawled as he swept past Harry. "Careful Potter... you might just land yourself in detention..." Draco let out a stifled chuckle as he turned his eyes back to his own cauldron. "Something's up Malfoy... and you better spill... what did you do to Ginny? I swear... i will rip your heart out and wear it round my neck as i watch you die Malfoy... you just wait..." Harry was immediately cut off by Draco. "Relax Pothead... you can keep your girlfriend... I was just having a lil fun...besides...red-heads aren't my type... " Draco communicated as he muttered the couterspell to the communication spell. But deep down inside Draco knew that as much fun as it was to taunt Harry, the real reason for asking him that question was to gauge his reaction. 'Yup... definitely not telling Pothead... he'd skin me alive for sure...' Draco thought as he slumped back into his seat and quietly finished his potion throughout the rest of the class.

The potions class seemed longer than usual, but maybe that was because the potion that Snape had set them seemed incredibly difficult even for a sixth year to manage. Once the bell signalling the end of class had rung, Draco put his books into his sling bag and headed off to the Great Hall for lunch, but not before he was caught off guard by none other than Hermione herself. "Malfoy... I've found what you're looking for..." Hermione said in a whisper. 'Man... she's good... that was fast...' Draco thought to himself as he let himself be guided into a small corridor by Hermione. "Malfoy... How much do you know about Aphrodite's Curse?" Hermione asked to a now, dumbfounded Malfoy...


~Nymphadora~


[Tonks was grooving to Disturbed's Voices | Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting ~ bummed out]


8:42 PM

Monday, July 24, 2006

Chapter 1

Would you love me till the end of

time?




Two and a half months was far too long. He had endured the wait, but was now growing more impatient by the minute. 'Patience is a virtue...', she'd always say, whenever he rushed to get under her clothes. He chuckled to himself as he found himself thinking of things he would do to her once he had gotten her alone in the compartment. 'Oh yes, this was definitely worth the wait...' Draco smirked as he stepped into an empty compartment and placed a silencing charm around it. He was sure she got the hint when he brushed past her on Platform 9 3/4. He was sure she felt the same yearning as he had when he passed her the note, away from the prying eyes of the other Gryffindors. Now all he had to do was to wait and soon, she'd be his for the taking. Draco sat down near the window of the compartment and stared outside. He saw Pothead, Weaselboy and Granger saying their goodbyes to the Weasley family. Ever since their little escapade a few months back, Draco had ceased referring to Hermione as the Mudblood. He had started addressing her by her surname and that, in Harry's opinion, was the start of something 'new'. He hated the way Pothead had grown comfortable around his presence, but deep down, Draco felt a slight sense of happiness all the same. Draco's summer vacation was spent in The Burrow with the Weasleys since it was now not safe to return to the Manor. Dumbledore had made all the necessary arrangements for Draco and his mother to spend the holidays away from Voldermort's eyes and as much as he hated to admit it, Draco did feel a tad bit more grateful to Dumbledore. Draco's eyes landed on Lodina as he saw her hug a big black dog and ruffle its fur at the back of its ears. 'That stud should start acting like her father instead of her pet... ' Draco grimaced as he saw Lodina give a final loving pat on the Black dog's head before turning to plant a kiss on a young lady's cheek. Draco was amused as this lady had pink hair and, to say the least, had a very punky fashion sense. He made a mental note to ask Lodina about her new funky 'friend' later. Just then, he heard the door to his compartment swing open. Harry was standing in the doorway, along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Draco was turning slightly pink around the ears. 'What the hell are these baffoons doing here?' Draco thought as he shifted in his seat. "I'm sure the Slytherin Prince wouldn't mind some company would he? I don't fancy walking all the way to the other end of the carriage hunting for an empty compartment when there's one right here!" Harry smirked as he turned to face Draco. 'That's it.... Pothead's going down...' Draco thought as he muttered the Drakon connecting spell while clutching the Dragon Seal under his robes. "Pothead... if you know what's best for you...get out of the compartment NOW... " Draco communicated to Harry as he calmly sat by the window, pretending to read the Daily Prophet which Hermione had placed beside him. "oooo... I'm sooo scared... what are you gonna do Drakey?? curse me into oblivion? Don't think i don't know what you're up to Malfoy... I saw you passing her the note...you sly dog you...." Harry smirked as he sat opposite to Draco. "So you think you know everything do you? In that case, I'm sure you don't mind me letting slip about you 'accidentally' sleepwalking into Ginny's room every night while you were camping out at Weaselboy's home... I'm sure he'd love to hear all about the late night shagging sessions his best friend was having with his only sister... don't you agree Pothead?" Draco sniggered as he glanced up to see Potter's horror-stricken face. "Harry, you ok mate? you don't look too good..." Ron asked as he stuffed his mouth with a couple of pumpkin pasteys. "I've changed my mind... lets go sit at the end of the carriage... I'm sure Malfoy has some 'business' to attend to with his other Slytherins... I don't fancy myself getting caught in the middle of a brawl..." Harry said as he abruptly dragged Ginny and Ron out of the compartment. Hermione looked confused but decided against questioning him as she turned on her heel and left Draco all alone in the compartment, grinning to himself.

A few minutes later, Draco heard someone hurrying along the corridor of the train. The footsteps were getting louder and he recognised them straight away. The train was pulling off from the station as well and it was beginning to get a little jerky. Draco quickly stepped outside of his cabin and put an arm out to break Lodina's fall as she tripped because of the jerky train start. She stared blankly at him at first, but after she finally registered what was going on, she let him lead her into the compartment as he muttered a locking charm to prevent anyone from entering the cabin while they were 'busy'. Draco didn't remove his arms from around her waist as he pulled her close beside him. He motioned for the seat and placed her ontop of him, on his lap. Lodina could feel his manhood growing hard on her bum as she smirked. "Someone's really eager to meet me ... I don't suppose I should give him a welcome present do you?" Lodina whispered softly into his ear as she brushed a stray strand of silvery blonde hair out of Draco's perfectly contoured face. Draco turned her around on his lap so that she faced him and immediately plunged into a deep and long kiss. Both of them broke free to get some air. "Yes... I do suppose he wants his welcome present... he's been waiting for far too long... " Draco smirked as he started unbuttoning her cloak and the front of her blouse as well. Draco fumbled a bit with the buttons and cursed silently under his breath. Lodina heard this and chuckled to herself as she started unbuttoning the front of his shirt as well. "What's so funny? I am the Slytherin Prince mind you, and I'm anything but funny..." Draco cocked his head and let out a sly grin as he paused to look at her slender frame. He memorised all the curves on her body and was eager to ravish her fully. He had waited too long. The only times he'd touched her was when she stayed over at the Burrow for a couple of nights for Harry's birthday party. Draco had of course visited her at her own home when she was fast asleep and unaware of his presence. Sometimes he'd lay down beside her, caressing her jawline and memorising every detail of her face. "Well I don't know abt Slytherin Prince... but you are mine though... My Prince... " Lodina said seductively as she lashed her tongue into his mouth once more as they locked in a tight embrace with fiery passion. She could feel him getting hard under her and loved the way she could control him. She grinded against him in a rhythmic fashion and made him moan in their kiss. "You carry this on Dina, and i might have to take you here... right now ... in this cabin..." Draco said in between kisses as he sent butterfly kisses all the way down her neck and collarbone. Lodina let out a soft moan as she twirled her fingers into his fine silvery blonde hair. The hair on the nape of his neck stood on end as she reached forward and nibbled on his earlobe. His bare chest was now on hers as he reached behind her to unfasten her bra strap. "Ahem... you do know the connection is still there don't you? You didn't close the connection you dimwit... not like this isn't interesting... but i can't eat my chocolate frogs knowing what you two are doing in the cabin every step of the way..." hearing Potter's voice in his head definitely messed up the romantic vibes he had going on with Lodina. "Potter!" Draco grimaced as he pulled out of Lodina's embrace and started to mutter the counterspell of the Drakon communication spell. "Potter? Ow... Is there something you're not telling me luv? " Lodina eyed Draco with curiosity. "oh it's nothing. We'll have to continue this some other time Dina. I forgot to close the communication with Pothead over here and he heard what was ... well... what we were sort of up to..." Draco blushed as he began buttoning his shirt. Lodina looked downcast for a moment as she too starting putting on her blouse and cloak which was strewn across the floor of the cabin. She had missed him so much during the holidays and now when she finally had her chance to be alone with him, they were interrupted by none other than her God-brother. Draco saw her dejected expression and quickly grabbed her close and pulled her in for a fiery kiss. "We're nearing Hogwarts anyway... and in any case... I'm not gonna let Potter get away with this... We'll definitely continue this later luv... when we have a luxury of a bed... in my chambers... possibly after the welcome feast... when everyone's fast alseep...." Draco smirked as he helped Lodina fasten her cloak. Lodina snuggled close to him, her hands wrapped tightly around his firm waist throughout the journey to Hogwarts. She knew their love was eternal but she still loved hearing him tell her how much he loves her every now and then. "Would you love me till the end of time, Draco?" Lodina asked, her sleepy eyes gazing deep into Draco's. "You know the answer to that my luv... Nothing and no one can ever come between us... I'll love you for all eternity and beyond..." Draco said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. Satisfied with the answer she'd just gotten, Lodina drifted off to sleep clutching him tightly. Draco put his hands around her shoulders and cradled her as he watched the love of his life sleep peacefully beside him. Nothing could ever come between their sweet love and lust for each other.

~-~

Lodina sat with the other Gryffindors, determined to not make eye contact with Harry, still embarrassed by what he had overheard in the train. "Dina! How are you? It's been ages! I didn't see you get on the train.... which compartment were you in?" Ginny talked enthusiastically as she sat down next to Lodina in the Great Hall. Lodina still hadn't told any of her friends about her relationship with the Slytherin Prince. The only person who knew of their relationship was Harry. While Hermione, Ginny and her brothers knew of Draco's heroic transformation at the Malfoy Manor in Romania, she failed to tell them about her on going 'affair' with Draco. Harry sat down on the other side of Ginny, and planted a kiss on her forehead. He turned to look at Lodina and gave her a wide grin. "Yea Dina... where were you? We missed you on the train... " Harry smirked. Lodina glowed different shades of pink as she turned away from Harry's gaze and took a sip from her mug of Butterbeer. Unknown to the Gryffindors, way across at the other end of the Great Hall, Draco was observing them with utmost attention. He noticed the uneasy look on Lodina's face and the look of satisfaction on Harry's face. On impulse, he muttered the connection spell once again and confronted Harry, in his thoughts. "You better not be taunting my girl Potter... If i see you embarassing her in any way... i swear upon the pureblood ancestory of the Malfoys that your little secret with the littlest Weasley will make it to the front page of every wizard magazine and newspaper... " Draco stared straight at Harry, his eyes burning holes through Harry's skin. "Relax Malfoy, I was just teasing her... that's all... she is afterall my God-sister... I would never do anything to hurt her Malfoy... don't make the mistake of thinking that you're the only person around here who cares about her... oh... but i have to admit though... you two make such a cute couple... strange... but cute... ickle Slytherin Prince with his Gryffindor Princess... " smirked Harry. Harry was now looking straight at Draco from the other end of the hall. "Whatever Potter..." Draco resigned as he started to blush. He quickly muttered the counterspell before he could give Potter a chance to retort and took a sip of his favourite Mai Tai. Swirling the Mai Tai in his glass, Draco was unaware that Dumbledore had started making the usual start of term announcements. He was too lost in his own train of thought. 'Slytherin Prince and Gryffindor Princess eh? ' Draco liked the 'ring' to that statement. He grinned to himself as he drank some more. After two glasses of Mai Tais, Draco started to feel a little dizzy. 'That's odd.... it usually takes more than that to get me flat out drunk... 'Draco thought. He excused himself from the Slytherin table to surrender to his chambers. He decided that it was better to rest for a bit and avoid the risk of getting caught for drinking Mai Tais within the walls of Hogwarts. Besides, he had a date with Lodina and he wanted to make sure that he was sober throughout the night. He staggered through the corridor as his vision became slightly blurred. 'What the hell is happening to me?' Draco thought as he started feeling a little lighter. It was not the usual feeling of getting high as he was still very much sober and his thoughts were still coherent. Draco staggered some more as he reached the staircase landing where he finally collapsed onto the ground. Just then, he heard a pair of footsteps running towards him and felt a pair of soft hands guide him back up onto his feet. "Lodina? Is that you?" Draco asked wearily. He couldn't even recognise the person in front of him! "Erm no... It's me... Ginny... Ginny Weasley... I was coming out of the restroom when i saw you on the floor... is everything alright? I think u need the hospital wing... here... take my hand... let me help you up..." Ginny said as she helped Draco onto his feet. Just then, Draco felt a sudden wave of lust sweep over him. He felt light and warm and the so-called 'blindness' he was experiencing vanished. He was now no longer dizzy as well. He steadied himself in Ginny's arms nonetheless and stared into her eyes. But before he could say his thanks, he bent down and pulled her close for a long and hard kiss. Ginny was stunned she knew she had to pull out of the kiss. It was the right thing to do. But she couldn't help it. She enjoyed the kiss with Draco Malfoy! She felt a pang of guilt coursing through her veins but there was no denying the fact that Draco Malfoy was dead sexy, especially when he was in a most vulnerable position. Without thinking, Draco muttered something softly into Ginny's ears. "I love you Ginny..." Ginny stood shocked. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. After saying those words, Draco shot back to reality. He realised what he had just done. But why? What swept over him to make him say those words to her? He knew he wasn't himself when he kissed her. He couldn't control these new feelings inside of him. He loved Lodina dearly, but what was this new feeling he felt for Ginny as well? It wasn't the kind of love he felt with Lodina. It felt as if someone had forced him to say those words and to kiss her as well. What was wrong with him? Draco stumbled backwards in a bid to flee from Ginny. He didn't want to hit it off with Potter's girlfriend! He didn't even like the red head, or so he thought. He knew he couldn't control the sudden outburst of feelings he felt for the girl. These feelings, he knew, seemed artificial. Much to the surprise of Ginny, he started to walk away briskly leaving her stunned at end of the staircase landing...

~-~

Lodina was looking over at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. She saw Draco swirling his Mai Tai in a grandeur fashion and quietly stifled a giggle. She loved it when he was deep in thought. She loved the way his shoulders would tense slightly and the way his mouth would curl occasionally into a small smirk. But just then, she noticed Draco getting a little dizzy. He seemed a little off colour and she figured that he probably had one too many glasses of Mai Tais. Concerned, she decided to follow him out of the Great Hall as he made his way out of the Hall as well. Her heart sank as she saw him stagger. She quickened her pace but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Ginny emerge from the restroom.'Damn! She can't know about 'US' yet...' Lodina thought as she hid behind the statue of the one-eyed witch. Her heart breathed a sigh of relief once she saw Ginny helping her Slytherin Prince up onto his feet. 'Well, at least he's ok now... I'll have to give him a dose of my personal 'medicine' later on, just in case... ' Lodina thought as she smirked from behind the statue. But, her joy was short-lived as she saw her Draco kiss her best friend right in front of her eyes...


~Nymphadora~


[Tonks was grooving to Hans Zimmer's The Kraken | Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting ~ tired]

10:17 PM

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Chapter 21

Salazar's Secret Sirrush



It was time for the duel. The Dark Lord would have felt the pain on his arm as well, seeing that the Dark Lord felt it even when Lodina gently carressed Draco's arm back in Lover's Doom. Lodina was still weeping on his chest as he tried to comfort her by softly rubbing her shoulders. "Lodina... luv... " Lodina lifted her head up so that he could see her watery-eyes. "It's no use... What's done is done... and it's hardly your fault... neither of us knew of the side effects... but I have to go now... the Dark Lord is expecting me to duel Potter and goodness knows, he probably felt your prescence too my luv... Lodina... I want you to get out of here as quickly as you got in... we have no time to lose!" Draco said as he tried to steady her onto her own two feet. Draco hushed her feeble protests and grabbed her cloak which was lying on the floor. Draco hastened to get Lodina out of the house as fast as he could, but it was to no avail. "I hear footsteps Draco... you don't suppose..." Lodina whispered just before Draco cut her short. 'Damn! He's here for me...' Draco thought to himself as he quickly muttered a Disillusionment charm at Lodina so that none but only he could see her. Lodina froze as she felt herself being wrapped around by a wave of magic.

"Well, I don't suppose you can wiggle your way out of this... All of us felt the Dark Mark sting in the Duelling Arena Draco... The Dark Lord gave me a mission to find out who came into contact with a Drakon... I've always known Draco... Ever since you laid your eyes on her in the Halloween Ball... did you think I was that daft? That's why I informed the Dark Lord that night... I've always known your secret Draco... Just think... how He would reward me when I uncover the truth about you... where is that lil' Gryffindor whore?" Draco spun around to see Iman at the foot of the doorway. "What do you mean Iman? I have to get ready for the Duel now.... so if you don't mind, you're infringing on my karma..." Draco said as he tried to push Iman aside with his wand arm; he had no time to deal with this now. Just as he had expected though, Iman resisted to move away and stood in front of Draco once more with his wand out stretched and pointing straight at Draco's chest. "What do you want Iman? The Dark Lord is expecting my prescence in the arena anytime now... I think it's unwise trying to stop me seeing that he would effortlessly break your neck, instead of mine, for wasting his time... The Dark Lord would be most displeased if ..." but before Draco could finish what he had to say to Iman, Lodina had stepped forward and whacked Iman on the head with a huge club which she had summoned from one of the walls in the room. "I always knew that the Malfoy's taste in weapons was impeccable..." Draco grinned at Lodina as Iman passed out and fell to the ground with a thud. "Just go... I'll cover for you here... he can't see me anyway... you've got that covered..." Lodina smiled as she planted a soft kiss on Draco's lips. Draco broke away from her kiss, "Promise me luv, that you won't come into the arena no matter what happens... promise me, quick!" Draco was now looking deep into Lodina's eyes. But before she could answer, he heard another pair of footsteps closing in on where he and Lodina stood atop of Iman. Without hearing her answer, Draco turned on his heels and hurried to cut whoever it was approaching.

"Where's your father boy? Anyway it doesn't matter now... we've got more pressing issues to handle... you're late... and I don't tolerate tardiness... surely Dumbledore must have taught you Hogwarts students on the importance of being punctual?" Draco stood face to face with the Dark Lord. He put one hand in his cloak pocket and clutched the Dragon's Seal of Trust. He knew the end was drawing near, but he feared for Lodina for he knew what the Dark Lord could do if he had even an inkling of a clue that she was the one who had caused the Dark Mark to sting that night...

~-~

Harry stood in the arena with nothing but his wand... He wondered whom he had to duel with... there were Deatheaters all around him. Avery, Knott, Crabbe, Goyle, Lestrange. But wait, where was Malfoy? Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach yet again. Somehow he knew that he had to duel Malfoy. Just then, he remembered the Dragon's Seal of Trust that Agathos had passed down to him before. Trying not to draw anyone's attention, Harry slid his right hand into his pocket. 'Where is it? They must have taken it when they put me in that cell!' Harry's mind raced as he now thought of the possibilities that awaited him. At that moment, Lord Voldermort strode into the arena with Draco behind him. Voldermort was clad in a hooded cloak and as he walked into the arena, the rest of the Deatheaters pulled up their cloak and adorned their Deatheater masks. It was just as he had expected. Harry was to duel with Malfoy. But why?

"Potter, take your place. Malfoy, you too. I trust Dumbledore has taught you both how to Duel, did he not? You will both battle it out till I command you to stop. Why so shocked Potter?" Voldermort was now wearing what was unmistakeably, a thin smile on his face. Harry didn't like the idea of battling Malfoy. He had battled Malfoy once in their second year and he knew Malfoy had dark arts training as well. On a regular day, if given the opportunity to duel Malfoy, Harry would be more than happy to accept the offer. But today was different; something was holding Harry back. He could see that Malfoy didn't have the usual haughty look in his eyes. He didn't even smirk for that matter. That of course could be because of the Dark Lord's prescence, but still, Harry knew that Malfoy was hiding something. In fact, Harry was sure that he thought Malfoy looked worried. Just then, Voldermort entered the ring where both the boys stood rooted to the ground.

"Do you not consider Malfoy a worthy opponent Harry Potter? Rest assured, once he's done with you, we shall both get our long awaited battle... as for you Draco Malfoy... you will do well to remember what we've discussed... we wouldn't like to keep our fiery friend waiting now do we?" With a triumphant gleam in his eyes, Voldermort signalled the start of the duel. "Expelliarmus!" both Draco and Harry cried out immediately. Draco managed to duck Harry's spell, and took his stance for the next hex. Harry on the other hand, had stumbled backwards as Draco's spell hit him squarely in the chest. Harry's wand was now lying beside Draco. Before Draco could make his next move, Harry quickly summoned his wand to his side. 'I've got to do it now...' Draco thought as he slid one hand into his cloak pocket and gripped the Dragon's Seal tightly.

"Drakonus Sonorum!" Draco muttered. 'Potter, you can hear me in your thoughts now can you? If you can, send a Bat Bogey Hex at me right now!' Harry was stunned for a moment. Was that Malfoy's voice in his head? How did he do that? 'Do it NOW Potter! Before the Dark Lord suspects anything!' Harry did as instructed wearing a dazed expression on his face. 'Look here Pothead, I have your seal of trust with me. It's how I'm able to talk to you. Listen to me. You can communicate with me like how you do with the Dragons. Yes I know you're a Drakon. Can you stop gaping at me and concentrate on the battle as well? We wouldn't want Voldermort to think something's going on now do we?' Just as Draco had said that, Harry dodged another hex Draco had fired at him. "Stupefy!" Harry bellowed as he retaliated. 'What is it you want Malfoy? What will it take for you to get out of my head?' Harry had gotten over the initial shock but was still irritated at Malfoy's new 'talent'. 'Just hear me out Potter. I have your medallion. I'm going to give it to you soon. Stop gaping at me! Cast a spell! Anything! The Dark Lord doesn't know about this... anyway... He is planning to use Salazar's Secret weapon to come back into full power. But you can stop him... for a short while at least... You need to touch him with your Dragon's Seal Potter... Touch his dark mark... That will give us sufficient time to escape before he can use that weapon against us. Oh for goodness sake! I know I'm good looking but this is really too much... Petrificus Partialus!' The spell only just hit Harry, but was enough to immobilise him from the waist down. 'Give me one good reason to trust you Malfoy...' Harry thought back to Draco as he gritted his teeth and fought to break free from Draco's last hex. 'Because Potter... you have no choice... well technically you do have a choice... you can be pig-headed and let Voldermort get the better of you... or you could work with me to try and escape from this fiasco... the choice is yours really... I'm fine with cursing you and drawing your blood for the ritual all the same... but I doubt Lodina would like that very much...' Draco said without thinking as he fired another hex straight at Harry who managed a narrow escape. 'Lodina's here? WHY? What did you do to her you slithering, pompous, ol'...' but Harry was cut short but Draco once more. 'Look... she's here... and I wouldn't do anything rash if I were you... the Dark Lord doesn't know she's here and frankly, I'd like to keep it that way... she's safe for now... but she won't be for much longer... just remember what I've told you Potter. That's the only way for all of us to get out of this alive... This spell won't last for much longer... and thank god for that too... you can't seem to multi-task at all Potter... I'm gonna hex you now... make sure you only just miss it so that it'll look like you got hit... I'll come by your side and slide the medallion into your cloak... remember Potter...' with that Draco cast his last hex on Harry.

'Alright Malfoy... I trust you...' Harry said as he faked a pass-out. Draco strode over to Harry's side and slid the medallion into Harry's cloak just like he had set out to do while checking for his pulse. "He's still alive my Lord... Is it time to do the summoning now?" Draco asked the Dark Lord with his head bent low. "You have done well Draco.... Summon Salazar's Sirrush now and the world will see the rise of the Dark Lord once again!" Voldermort bellowed as he triumphantly reached out a vial and slit Harry's wrist to draw his blood. Harry felt a searing pain once more but struggled to resist flinching for fear of blowing his cover. 'Malfoy conveniently left out the part about Voldermort slitting my wrist...' Harry thought bitterly as he tried with all his might to remain as still as he could possibly be. "Now Draco! Do it now!" Voldermort's thunderous voice filled the entire arena as all the Deatheaters started circling the arena in their devillish masks and hooded cloaks.

Draco clutched the Malfoy medallion and summoned a huge green Dragon by his side. The Dragon's magnificent scaly green skin was glistening in the light of the arena. The Deatheaters were now standing in awe as most of them had not come into close contact with a real live dragon before this, in their entire despicable lives. Draco whispered a spell to untie Harry's hands and went to his side to pull Harry out of the Dragon's way. "Now Harry. Touch his arm before he gets Sirrush's blood!" Harry didn't need to be told twice. He rushed forward but Voldermort was too fast for him. Lord Voldermort hexed Harry and turned to face Draco. "You... You disobeyed me? You of all people know very well what happens to those who deliberately betray me... and yet you do it tonight of all nights... no matter... once the ritual is complete... there will be no stopping what's to come..." Voldermort sneered as he now wore a huge grin on his face. Voldermort made a move to Sirrush but stopped in his tracks as Sirrush was now ruffling his big scaly wings and seemed to be getting ready to strike. Sirrush had been awaken from his deep slumber and none but the direct Drakon descendants of Salazar Slytherin could command him. "But you forgot one thing my Lord, neither you nor I can command Sirrush... You asked me to summon him... and that I could, as I have Salazar Slytherin's medallion... but you failed to consider that summoning and commanding the Dragon itself are two very different things... " It was now Draco's turn to snigger. But unknown to Draco, Avery was now drawing his wand and was about to fire a hex at him. Harry saw this and quickly got up as he yelled "Stupefy!" and blocked Avery's curse from hitting Draco. Harry was now standing back to back with Draco and they were both facing a very angry Voldermort. "I'd never thought I'd see the day when you'd be covering my back for me Potter..." Draco smirked. "Neither did I Malfoy... neither did I..." Harry said as he drew his wand out ready for battle.

Just then, Lodina entered the arena. Draco spotted her and was half relieved to see her alive but was also half worried for her safety. 'What is she doing here? Does she want to get killed? No... it can't be...' Draco thought to himself as he witnessed something he'd never dreamt possible. Lodina had a dreamy look in her eyes. That could only mean one thing; she was now communicating with Sirrush! There was only one thing left for him to do. "Potter, I'm going to distract Voldermort. You get to his hand quickly, savvy?" "Yea ok... but one question Malfoy... how are we going to get out of this place?" Harry asked still feeling apprehensive of Draco's escape plan. "Leave that to me Potter... Just don't miss my que..." Draco said as he fired a hex at Voldermort. "I don't have time for you boy. Get out of my way. Crucio!" Voldermort managed to hit Draco with the Cruciatus Curse. Harry was now fighting off the Deatheaters who came charging at him. He managed to stupefy Crabbe and Goyle, but the Lestranges and Avery were more difficult to elude. Harry whipped round to see Malfoy struggling with the curse. In one fluid motion, Harry dodged one of Avery's hexes and pelted towards Voldermort from behind. Bellatrix Lestrange saw Harry's attempt at getting to the Dark Lord and tried to warn him, but alas. It was too late. Harry had already reached out for Voldermort's Dark Mark and pressed his bloody hands and the Dragon's Seal of Trust onto his skin bearing the Dark Mark. Voldermort let out a shrilly scream as he keeled backward clutching his profusely bleeding arm. "You... " Voldermort managed to cry out in his stifled voice beforehis body got engulfed in a burst of whirlwind. "Harry, help me up... we have to go now!" Draco said as he painfully reached out to grab Harry's hand.

~-~

She couldn't do it. She couldn't leave Draco alone to face the Dark Lord. Did he really think she'll leave him here while she waited for him back in Hogwarts? Lodina quickly magically roped Iman to a chair and took his wand from him before he came around. "You can't dream of escaping now... not like you could anyway... you have no means of escape Iman..." Lodina said as she kicked him in his groin. Iman let out a huge groan and writhed in pain. "And that... was for calling me a whore..." Lodina spat at him as she turned towards the arena. She heard a loud crackling sound as she entered the arena. "Oh this can't be good..." Lodina whispered as she saw a huge scaly green Dragon materialise out of thin air! As if on impulse, the dragon sensed her prescence and turned to face her. It's golden eyes were looking deep into Lodina. "Er... hello? erm... can you hear me? oh forget it..." Lodina said as she tried to back away from the Dragon. She had communicated with Agathos before. But why didn't it work this time? "For what do I owe the pleasure of your summons my mistress?" The green Dragon's voice resonated within Lodina's mind. 'Y-you can hear me then?' Lodina asked timidly afraid that she might anger the dragon. "Yes I can... and i also know that you seek out vengeance... for that's my purpose... to appease vengeance for my master or mistress... I only adhere to the Drakon heir of Salazar Slytherin... and you my child are both a Drakon and a heir... ah... but i see there's another of your kind in this room... but he's busy in battle i see... so what is it you want me to take care of my mistress? But I daresay you better hurry... for I can only be summoned for a brief period of time..." Lodina couldn't digest what she had just heard. This dragon was now willing to do her bidding? 'Now this could be interesting...' Lodina thought as she let out a tiny smirk.

~-~

Harry steadied Draco and let him lean on him for support. But before they could move any further, Sirrush flew across the room and stood majestically in front of the now extremely terrified Deatheaters who were about to throw curses and hexes at Harry and Draco. Harry and Draco paused to see the Dragon spread it's wings and exhale fire out of it's flaring nostrils. The Deatheaters were now screaming in the scorching heat. Both Harry and Draco saw no more as they turned to flee from the house itself. Draco muttered the counter Disillusionment charm he put on Lodina and beckoned her to join them in their escape. "Harry! Draco! Oh thank god! You're both ok..." Lodina reached out to hug both of them and she kissed Draco thoroughly on the lips. Draco broke free from her kiss once more as he guided them through the once Majestic Malfoy Manor in Romania. Harry's mouth was wide open as he couldn't believe what had just taken place. 'Lodina and Malfoy?' Harry thought as he gave Draco an incredulous look. "Oh please Potter.... you look as if you could swallow an entire fullgrown hippogriff!" Draco rolled his eyes at Harry as he continued to guide them through the Malfoy Manor. 'There isn't going to be much left of this place once Sirrush is done...' Draco thought. His mind was now set on getting to his mother's bedroom. Quickly, he ushered Harry and Lodina into his mother's bedroom. "Why are we here Malfoy? In this bedroom? I mean... I am tired and all... but I think I'd like a rest AFTER we escape from this!" Harry said as he wandered into the room. "Quit yakking Potter and come over here... you too Lodina... good... now on the count of three... touch this pen alright? It's a portkey... Mother always kept a portkey in her room for safety reasons... it'll take us to wherever we want to go... so on the count of three... touch this pen and concentrate on getting back to Hogwarts alright? One, two, three!" Draco said as the three of them concentrated hard on getting back to the familiar Hogwarts grounds.

~-~

A few seconds later, the three of them landed in Professor Dumbledore's office with a loud thud. "Ouch!" Lodina yelped as she tried to rub her behind. "That was quite a ride... " Lodina beamed at Draco. She was soo glad that he was safe. She turned to Harry and smiled warmly at him too. "Malfoy... I ..." "Oh put a sock in it Potter... save it for the house-elves... I know you want to know what really happened... so hear me out before Dumbledore comes through those jumping Gargoyles... as we all know, the Dark Lord wanted to get back to full power... and my Father offered him the Malfoy secret... you both met the Dragon Sirrush earlier.... He was actually Salazar Slytherin's very own personal dragon... he was held by Slytherin's spell to serve all the Drakon Descendants of Slytherin himself... he could only be summoned by this Slytherin medallion... which has been safe guarded by the Malfoy family for ages... all The Dark Lord needed was a bit of your blood... the blood of his enemy... and the blood of Sirrush to completely return him to power... he'd be back better than before of course, and he'd be almost, if not as powerful as Salazar Slytherin himself... coz' rumor has it that before Salazar Slytherin had passed on... he had transfered most of his powers to Sirrush..." Draco said as he dusted off some rubble from his Armani shirt. "But why duel with me? Why did Voldermort want you to duel with me? He could have simply duelled with me himself and obtained the blood at that... Why you?" Harry asked, perplexed. "That Potter... was my initiation into the Deatheater community... I had to fully surrender my mind, body and soul to the Dark Lord... and this was the test he set out for me to accomplish... " Draco said. His silvery blonde hair was now covering his face and Harry couldn't read his expression at all. Sensing that he had probably extracted too much information from Draco, Harry appologised. But was cut off abruptly. "You don't have to appolgise Potter. It's not like we're friends or anything like that... I saved your life... and you saved mine... we're even... but I must admit... it is going to be difficult for me... " At this, Draco smiled at Lodina and pulled her closer to him. "I'm in love with a Gryffindor, and now, I've just come out of a battle, working side by side with the famous Harry Potter to escape the Dark Lord... I have to write to Mother to tell her what happened though... we'd probably have to go underground... lie low for awhile... till we can find a safe place where the Dark Lord can't find us... seeing that we are now traitors in his eyes... " Draco sneered at this. "It's ok luv, you'll still have me.... " Lodina whispered into Draco's ears and planted a kiss on his forehead. Draco pulled her closer and lunged into a deep kiss. He was soo relieved that both of them had gotten out of this alive. He didn't know what he would do if he had lost her in that madhouse! He looked into the eyes of the girl who had made him, a Malfoy, soft. He never thought it would have ever been possible. A Malfoy going soft because of a pretty lass? Lodina Black had him wrapped under her spell for sure, and she would have to pay for that. Malfoy let out a small smirk as he thought of the 'punishment' he would have to mete out when both of them were alone. Draco pulled out from the kiss and surveyed his girl. "Ahem... I'm sorry to interrupt this little reunion party of yours Malfoy... but there's one more thing I'd like to know... At the start of term feast... what were in those packages? Oh yes... I know about the packages... so spill... out with it Malfoy... what were you passing Iman?" Harry pressed on for the answer he had been soo curiously longing to find out since the beginning of the school year. Draco chuckled. It was the first time Harry had ever seen Draco so light-hearted and he was at first, taken aback at Draco's reaction to his question. "Those packages Potter, contained bottles of Mai Tai... yes you heard me right... I sort of have a soft spot for Mai Tais ... it's my signature drink you see... and the Eanderthals specialise in these drinks... so you see Potter... I was making a simple trade with Iman... that's all... which reminds me... What did you do to Iman luv?" Draco now turned to look at Lodina as she started to smile in a most queer fashion. "Well... lets just say he's a lil' tied up right now..." Lodina winked at Draco. "Oh you didn't? You left him in that house tied up? I underestimated you luv... but that scoundrel deserved what he got..." Draco beamed down at her. "Ok... just one more thing Malfoy... you dating Lodina's not gonna change our enmity is it? Coz' I do think I'd miss those unfriendly banterings we usually have... " Harry sniggered. "Oho... I'd never dream of calling Weasel by his real name... no... i should think not... rest assured Pothead... things will be back to normal tomorrow... in fact... things will be back to normal the moment we get out of this room..." Draco smirked. "Oh Harry... what about the Dragon's Seal of Trust? Did you manage to salvage it from that fiasco we were caught up in?" Lodina queried. "Well yes... I still have it... and I think you need this more than I do Malfoy... I'm not trying to be noble or anything... but take it..." Harry said as he pressed the medallion in Draco's hands and said nothing else. Draco understood what it meant. As much as Harry would love to continue to hurl insults at him, he wanted him to have this Seal of Trust as a mark that he, Harry Potter, trusted him. However, Draco couldn't help but secretly think that he could now bother Harry as much as he liked with the Seal of Trust, seeing that with the Medallion, he could connect with Harry's mind anytime he wished for a session of private tormenting. Draco grinned at that prospect and quietly pocketed the medallion. He would have to come to terms with the fact that things with Pothead would never be the same again, no matter how much they show their hatred for each other outwardly. Just then, the door creaked open and the Gargoyles jumped aside to reveal a weathered looking Dumbledore. The three of them said no more to one another as they dusted themselves clean and prepared themselves for Dumbeldore's visit.

~THE END~

**This post is dedicated to all the loyal Felix Felicis fans who have endured the long wait ...I thank you for your tremendous patience. =)

[Tonks was grooving to Sheryl Crow's Real Gone | Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting ~ euphoric]

~Nymphadora~

2:58 PM

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