The Dragon's Child Bride

A/N As always, thank you to my wonderful beta! This chapter is a little farther out there then most. If I did anything wrong, please, please let me know. My goal is to please after all.


They were everywhere, all around her. She tried to run but she couldn’t move. She ran her eye over her surroundings. She was there again, on that stone slab in the roaring fire, just inches away from being burned to death. She tried to scream, call for help, for mercy, for anything. She couldn’t make a sound. Tears sprung to her eyes. ‘No,’ she thought, ‘Don‘t cry, they love to see you cry.’

She forced the tears back for as long as she could, but then the chanting started. That horrible murmur that ran through the legions of Dark Robes that seemed to stretch out into infinity. The words were indistinguishable to her. The chanting began to get louder and louder until it was a deafening roar. She could feel its reverberations inside of her, feeling like they were tearing her apart, limb from limb.

She again made futile attempts to scream. She silently cried out for them to stop, for someone, anyone to come and save her. Suddenly the chanting stopped. ‘No,’ she thought, ‘Please not him. Please, God, no…’ But whatever fates were out there took no heed of her wordless pleas. The shadows began to pull in from all the darkness around her, swirling to form the shape of a man. Of him. It was him. A length of the shadow reached out and ran across her cheek, feeling freezing cold and burning hot at the same time. Laylani tried uselessly to recoil from this beast’s touch.

‘Thisssss isss the one. Thissss isssss the foressssseen child.’ She heard the rasping voice directly in her mind, for the shadows could not speak themselves. She felt him shifting through her mind and thoughts, ignoring her own internal voice that pleaded with him to let her go, to leave her alone.

‘We shall never leave, child. You belong to ussssss…’

“NO!” she screamed the words, springing up from the bed.

“Lani! It’s okay. It’s okay, love. Shhh, it’s okay.” Draco wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders and she began to shake.

She was in the bedroom. She was in Draco’s bed. There was no one in the room but him and herself. It was just that dream. That damned dream. She felt his hands against her face softly wiping away the hot tears that she must have begun to cry in her sleep. Draco pulled her to lie down against his chest and ran a soothing hand up and down her back.

“It’s okay, Princess. It was just a dream. That’s all. You’re okay…” He spoke to her as one might speak to a small child. Though a small part of her resented it, for the most part she was relieved to be comforted. She relaxed her body against him and let herself be calmed. After a few minutes, her tears were dry and her breathing was almost normal. Finally, Draco spoke.

“Was it a bad dream?” He knew that sounded lame, but he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was ease her pain and if that meant listening to her describe some silly nightmare, he would be more then glad to do it.

“It, it wasn’t a dream, not really. It happened. It’s like a memory that keeps playing in my mind. I’ve had it before…it’s from - it’s from when they took me.” Draco’s mind reeled. This was the first time she had made men to to him of her kidnappers. In earlier conversations, she had always referred to it as when she ‘was away.’ He cautiously chose he words to his next question, hoping it wouldn’t upset her more.

“Do you want to talk about it? It might help.” Her eyes welled up with tears again, much to his dismay.

“No, don’t cry, love. It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. Please don’t cry…”

She wiped her eyes on the back of her arm, and drew a deep shaky breath.

“It was the night they took me. I woke up and I knew some thing was wrong. I- I couldn’t smell the sea air anymore. The air, the air there was heavy and it smelled well, it smelled like death. They had put me on a big square rock and lit a fire around me. It was so hot, and I couldn’t move, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t get away. They were everywhere, all around me… like I was an island in an ocean of Dark Robes. I tried to scream but I can’t. I could feel the air moving through my throat, but nothing comes out. And then they start, they started this chanting and I could feel it, I could feel it running through my body, I felt it tearing at me as if it could pull me apart. It kept getting louder and louder and it hurts, it hurts so much. Then all of a sudden they stop. And it’s so quiet except the wind. This whistling wind that gets closer and louder. And then the shadows start to move. It’s like they’re pulled out of the Dark Robes, out of the ground, out of the corners and they spin together in front of where I was. They make a shape like a body, but it’s not. It’s just these shadows in front of me. It’s the Shadow Man. It starts to whisper in my mind, right in my mind, but it never makes any real sound. It touches me and it hurts, almost like the chanting. I can feel it shifting through the thoughts in my head. It called me the ‘foreseen child.’ It tells me I’m theirs. It tells me I belong to them now.”

Draco was struck with the depth of detail she put into her descriptions. Any of the dreams she had told him about were fuzzy on many particulars. And her memories always needed a little helping before she could remember with accuracy. But what really grabbed his attention was the way she described her assailants. The Dark Robes. They never had names or descriptions, just \'The Dark Robes\'. This was the first time she had ever given any sort of indication of whom or what they were. And this ‘Shadow Man,’ she had never mentioned him before.

He ran this new information over and over and over in his head. Suddenly, a thought struck him that he had never once considered. Her attackers, whoever took her, they might not have been muggles. He had heard of their silly cults, and that could explain away the robes, the chanting, and the slab on the fire. But this new…thing, whatever it was, could not be called cult work. It wasn’t a muggle creature. It couldn’t be. Muggles were never able to wield the power of spirits or demons. If this ‘Shadow Man’ was real, if it did exist, it opened all new doors to who her kidnappers could have been.

Laylani seemed to have put the horrible dream out of her mind. It was Christmas day, nearly ten a.m. They surely could get up now. She got out of bed and pulled a robe out of their joint closet. She returned to the bed and pulled at his hand, silently urging Draco to get up. ‘Let her enjoy her first Christmas. We can talk about this another time.’ he thought. He resolved not to mention the dream to anyone for the rest of the day. This could all be dealt with tomorrow. He got out of bed, put on the pants and shirt he had left on the floor the night before and took her outstretched hand, following her downstairs to the tree where his parents were waiting for them with a leisurely breakfast.

Once breakfast was cleared away, the Malfoy family opened presents. It was wonderful. Laylani got more presents then she had ever seen at any given time. She got a picture ingredients book from Lucius, a few wizarding books from Narcissa, and Draco had bought her very own broom. She was pleased with her gifts, except for one. One she was sure Narcissa gave her just to torture her with embarrassment. It was some sort of complicated lacy lingerie, including a corset and thigh-high stockings. Slytherin green, naturally. The note inside said:

***

\'Not just matching bra and panties.\'

***

She mumbled her thanks, closing the box quickly before any one else saw it. Narcissa could barely control her laughter.

The family finished their present opening and began to move them all to their respective rooms. Draco helped Laylani carry hers. Unfortunately she didn’t check which presents he was carrying. He dropped the box from Narcissa in the doorway, spilling its contents over the floor.

“What the hell…Where did this come from?” Laylani turned from her pile of presents she had stacked neatly in the corner to be sorted. She saw Draco on his knees, the presents he’d held cast aside, running his fingers over the delicate material. ‘Oh Lord,’ she thought, ‘Why in the seven hells can’t Narcissa have a normal sense of humor?’

“It’s nothing, really. Nothing.” She tried to grab it out of his hands, intending to shove the whole embarrassing outfit into the closet and have it never see the light of day again. But Draco was too quick and too damned tall for her. He held the crotch-less panties overhead just out of her reach. She made a few fruitless jumps trying to grab hold of it.

“So, when do you intend to wear this?” He said with a smirk.

“Right after you do. Draco, give it back.”

“I think you should wear it. We both know how well the color suits you.”

“I am not ever in a million years going to wear that getup. You hear me? Never.”

“Well then, I can’t very well give these back to you knowing you won’t wear them for me.”

Laylani gave a frustrated sigh.

“Quit being a dumbass. Give me back the damned thing.” Draco made a face of mock hurt.

“Ooh, name calling? Now you really aren’t going to get them back. No, I think this is coming with me tonight to show my friends.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You wouldn’t dare.” He smirked again.

“I would, unless of course you were to convince me not to…”

She growled. Gods, he could be such an irritating jerk.

“Alright, I’ll wear it sometime.”

“Sometime soon?”

“Sure.”

“Tonight.” That wasn’t a question. He seriously wanted her to climb into that - that thing and parade around for him. And he wanted her to do it that night.

“But, um, Draco, I can’t wear it tonight. We, we have the Yule Ball, remember?”

“After. I want you to wear this. The whole outfit. You just have to wear it once and then you can put it away and we’ll never speak of it again.”

Oh, he wanted to play another game of manipulation, did he? A plan formulated in her mind almost instantly. She was surprised at herself with this newfound deviousness.

“Alright. I’ll wear it tonight.”

His eyes widened. He knew he would eventually get his way, but he had been sure it would have taken a lot more needling then that. Nevertheless, if she was prepared to give into his demand so easily, who was he to argue?

“Good. Lunch is in fifteen minutes, love. Better get dressed.” He crossed the room and went through the closet to his own. He blocked the closet door and locked the other. He quickly crossed over to his bed, undoing his trousers and pushing down his boxers on the way. They fell around his ankles and he kicked them off. Draco lay back on the bed and immediately brought his hand down to his hard shaft. He couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten. She had actually agreed to wear it for him. Laylani Rissa Stanners had agreed to wear something lacy and revealing just for him. Okay, maybe ‘agreed’ was a bit too strong a word. She’d accepted his offer to wear it in exchange for him not showing anyone her panties. Not that he really would have done it. Of course not, he was a Malfoy and a gentleman. But if she didn’t know that, all the better.

His hand began to move up and down his length. In his minds eye, he could see her in that costume. She was stunning. The green material clung to every curve, the stocking showing off her long legs and the corset accenting her cleavage, practically spilling out of it. His strokes became quicker, and he began leaking drops of pre-cum that lubricated his hand motions. He imagined it was her hand on him. He imagined her hot little mouth wrapped around his cock while she was still in that outfit, her eyes watching him intently. Gods, it was so hot. Suddenly he could see her riding him, his cock buried deep inside her through those crotch-less panties. Her head rolling back in ecstasy, her breasts were bared to his touch - he couldn’t stand it anymore. Draco came hard all over his hand, whispering her name just once.

He lay there gasping momentarily, reveling in the idea of having Laylani. Draco knew he couldn’t have her now; with everything that had been done to her, it would take time before she would be ready to make love. But if it were even half as amazing as it was in that fantasy, it would be well worth the wait.

He muttered a cleaning charm and cast a glance at the clock. He had five minutes to be dressed and ready for lunch with his family. Damn it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Malfoy fy hay had decided on having a nice lunch together in lieu of Christmas dinner since Draco and Laylani would be attending the Ball. It was nice. A quiet uneventful lunch together, only to be rushed into what proved to be four hours worth of preparation.

Narcissa tended to Laylani personally. She took Laylani to her bedroom, sat her in a chair in front of the mirror and started with makeup. She spent practically an hour on that alone, changing her colors and tints several times. Then she let her put on the dress robe privately before returning to do a few last minute adjustments. Finally Narcissa did Laylani’s hair in a loose updo. She piled her brown hair on top of her head, giving it a few soft curls, adding subtle highlights here and there. She was nearly done when there was a knock on the door.

Narcissa answered the door, upset at having been disturbed. It was a timid house elf, cowering in the face of the house matriarch.

“Begging your pardons, M’am. Master Draco’s done sends me with a gift for Miss Laylani.”

She smiled slightly and stepped aside to the little elf enter. He walked quickly over to Laylani and handed her a purple lily, matching the color of the dress trim. She took it from him and patted his head.

“Thank you.” She spoke quietly, knowing Narcissa didn’t like her ‘fraternizing with the help.’ He reddened.

“It be my pleasure, Miss Laylani.” He left quickly.

Narcissa apparently hadn’t heard them. She took the flower from Laylani’s hand and cast a quick spell on it, then tucked it into the girl’s hair. Laylani smiled at her reflection.

“There. Now it’ll last all night without wilting.”

“Thank you Narcissa. I look beautiful.”

Narcissa smiled. “Only because you already were, darling. And don’t you forget it.”

Lani turned away from the window and gave Narcissa a tight hug. “Well, thanks for everything then.”

Narcissa hugged her in return and couldn’t help but think how much Layla would have loved this. But there was no time for that now. Draco and Laylani had a one minute window of opportunity to floo to Hogwarts. Time was of the essence. They had seven minutes to get her downstairs with Draco, snap a few pictures, and then Floo them to the Slytherin common room.

“Alright love, it’s nearly time.” Laylani let Narcissa out of the hug and got up. Narcissa went downstairs first to see if Draco was there. Laylani dutifully waited at the top of the stairs. She wanted Laylani to ‘make an entrance,’ as she put it. Only Narcissa would be concerned with making an entrance in her own home with family. Still, it was worth the look on Draco’s face as she descended the last flight of stairs.

He met her at the last step with a bow and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

“You look beautiful tonight, milady.”

She smiled, blushing a little. He thought it sexy, watching the pink stain slowly creep up from her chest to her shoulders, her neck and to her face. He could feel a predatory grin spreading on his face, imagining that blush coming up from under her green lingerie.

Lucius rushed the two in front of the fireplace for a few pictures before they had to leave. Draco wrapped his arm around Laylani’s bare shoulder and pulled her close to him against the soft material of his dark green dress robe. She placed a hand over his heart and he covered it with his own. She turned her face up to his and they smiled at each other.

*Snap!* Lucius began to take pictures. “Perfect,” he said, “If it turns out like I think it will, we can send it out for the wedding announcement.” He snapped a few more.

They both rolled their eyes. “Father,” said Draco, “I think it’s about time Laylani and I were going?”

“Of course,” said Lucius. “Alright, into the fireplace, you two.”

Draco placed his hand on the back of her head to guard her from hitting her head and they ducked under into the fireplace. They waited for Lucius’ signal that it was the right time. Upon receiving it, Draco took a handful of Floo powder, grabbing Laylani’s wrist with his free hand, and called loudly “SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOM!” and threw down the powder. With a puff of smoke they appeared in the dungeons of Hogwarts.

A hand reached inside the fireplace and grabbed Laylani’s own. She ducked her head out of the fireplace and came face to face with a man she’d never seen before. His skin was pale, startlingly so, but it might have only seemed that way because of its stark contrast with his greasy black hair. He wore black billowing robes and had a rich spicy scent to him.

He looker upr up and down once. “Miss Stanners, I believe.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes, sir.” She felt Draco slip a protective arm around her waist.

“Lani, this is Professor Snape. He teaches Potions and is head of Slytherin house.” She shook his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Professor.” He nodded and turned to Draco.

“She’s a lovely girl, Mr. Malfoy. Congratulations.” Laylani’s eyes widened. Why was he talking about her like she wasn’t there?

“Now, you’ll need to head upstairs. I’ll be sure to see you and your date there.”

Draco nodded and turned to leave the common room. As soon as the portrait swung shut, Laylani exploded.

“What was that? ‘She’s a lovely girl, Mr. Malfoy,’ ‘I’ll see you and *your date* there.’ Is there a reason he didn’t feel like talking directly to me?” Draco shrugged.

“That’s just how he is.” She gave him a look of disbelief.

“Well, I don’t like it.” The subject was dropped when they reached the doors of the Great Hall. She stopped for a moment, just staring at the large oak door in front of her.

“Are you ready, Princess?” He smiled to her encouragingly.

“I hope so.” With that, she pushed open the door.

The Great Hall was practically full with students, and it seemed like all of them turned to face her at once. The earlier chatter was silenced for a moment, then there was whispering. She was about to face the ground when she heard Narcissa’s words in her head. ‘You are practically a Malfoy now and how you carry yourself should reflect that.’ Laylani drew up all the courage she could find inside herself and stood up straight with her head held high, smiling coolly and meeting the inquisitive eyes with a level gaze. She let Draco lead her through the crowd onto the dance floor.

Coincidently, the song playing was the first song Lucius has used to teach her to dance. She put her left hand on his shoulder and clasped her right hand in his. He pulled her closer to him with his arm around her waist and they began to dance. As they moved practically flawlessly over the floor, Draco couldn’t help but ask “Lani, where did you learn to dance?”

She smiled. “Lucius taught me.” Draco was surprised. He couldn’t see his father having the time or the patience to teach anyone anything. Then again, his parents had changed since Laylani had come back.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” he said with a grin. Her smile got even wider.

“I have another surprise.” She pulled closer to him and whispered in his ear. “I was accepted to attend Hogwarts in January. I’m going to be here for the rest of the year and graduate with you!”

He stopped dancing and pulled back from her, completely stunned. “B-but how can you? You haven’t been to school - ever. What about your O.W.L.S?”

“They were waived because I did so well on the aptitude tests.”

Draco gave a very unMalfoy-like whoop of joy. Those who had stopped staring at Laylani immediately returned their attentions to them. Draco picked her up in a fierce hug and spun her around and around. When he finally put her down, she was dizzy. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her in awe.

“My girl’s bloody brilliant!” he said, loud enough for the surrounding couples to hear . Laylani flushed again, whispering for Draco to quiet down. He looked around them as if he had forgotten where he was. He immediately regained his composure and began to dance with Laylani again as if nothing had happened. But the look in his eye gave him away. He was thrilled. She smiled, pleased with herself. The song ended and Draco led her to their seats at the Head table.

“Do you want anything to drink, love?” he asked.

“Um, sure. I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Draco got up and headed across the room to the punch bowl. He was just out of sight when Hermione and Ron joined her at the table. Ron had finally got himself together enough to Her Hermione to be his date, to which she had readily accepted. Laylani was pleased to see them. Sitting there alone at the elevated Head table made her feel like she was on display for all the curious students of Hogwarts.

Hermione reached over to shake Laylani’s hand. “Hi, I’m Hermione. Hermione Granger.”

Laylani shook her hand. “I’m Laylani. We’ve met once before, after the Quidditch match in November.”

“Oh, I remember. So you’re Malf- I mean, Draco’s date?” Laylani laughed.

“You sound surprised.” Hermione blushed and tried to stutter out an answer.

“Well, it’s just - I mean... he doesn’t usually, well… It has been about a month now and he doesn’t, well usually…”

Ron cut in. “He usually trades in his groupie every week or so.” Hermione smacked his shoulder hard.

“Ow! What? It’s true.”

Laylani laughed. “I’m not his groupie.”

“Of course you’re not.” said Hermione. “I’m sure you just really like Quidditch, and it’s natural to date someone with the same interests, after all.”

“No, actually. That was my first Quidditch game. Draco and I are - we\'ll our relationship is pretty unique.”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Sure, it is.”

Laylani was just about to tell him exactly what kind of relationship they had when Draco returned with some sort of orange drink for her.

“Here you are, love…Lani, are these two bothering you?” He cast them a withering stare. He could tell by her expression something had upset her.

“No, not at all,” she forced a smile, “We were just talking about…Quidditch.” Draco looked the three of them over with a wary eye and sat down next to her, slipping a protective arm over her shoulders. She took a sip from her cup and practically choked on the orange liquid. She looked at the deceitful contents of the cup. “What is this?”

Ron and Hermione’s eyes went wide. “Pumpkin juice, of course.” said Hermione. ‘What kind of witch wouldn’t know?’ she thought. ‘She has to be a witch and a pureblood at that; Malfoy wouldn’t be caught dead with her otherwise.’

Laylani guessed from their stares that it was something she should have obviously known. “Oh, of course.” she said with a sheepish smile. She took a small hesitant sip, trying to make it look natural. It wasn’t all that bad. It was actually pretty good now that she wasn’t expecting it to be orange juice.

“Would you like to dance, Laylani?” Draco asked offering her his hand.

She smiled and took his hand.

Harry had spotted her sitting the Head table with Ron and Hermione from the dance floor. He decided once he finished this dance with Ginny, he would ask Laylani to dance. He saw Draco join them at the table and his jaw clenched. What the hell was he doing with Laylani? He had told him to stay away from her. But when Draco pulled her onto the dance floor, Harry couldn’t stand it. He didn’t know if this was motivated by jealousy or hatred, but he really didn’t care. He pulled away from Ginny, leaving her alone on the dance floor without so much as an ‘excuse me,’ and stalked to where Draco and Laylani were dancing.

He came up behind Draco and tapped him on the shoulder. “May I cut in?”

Draco didn’t even turn to see who it was. “You sure as hell can’t.”

Harry’s hand forcibly turned Draco around. “I told you to stay away from her.”

Draco rolled his eyes and answered in a bored tone. “Sod off, Potter. I’m not interested in anything you’ve ever said.” He made to turn back to Laylani when Harry pulled at his shoulder again. The students around them stopped their dancing and gawked at the two boys. Draco took a deep breath and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Look Scarhead, she’s my date. I see you have your own, so why don’t you go back to the She-Weasel and leave us the hell alone.”

“Like I would leave her alone with you, ferret boy.”

Draco faced Laylani with an apologetic grin. “Sorry, love. I have to take care of this. It’ll only take a minute and I’ll be right back.” She nodded dumbly, completely confused as to what exactly was happening. He kissed her forehead quickly. He turned back to Harry with a scowl.

“Alright, Potter. Outside.”

“Gladly.” Draco and Harry left for the doors leading out to the garden. Laylani watched busybody Hermione get up from the Head table and follow them out. Then Ginny, who was probably trying and recollect her date. Laylani stood rooted to the spot, still trying to understand what had just happened.

Ron had observed all of this from his seat at the Head table. At first he had wanted to join the rest of the Golden Trio outside, but then his eyes fell on Laylani standing alone in the middle of the floor. The dancing couples around her kept a good five feet of distance between themselves and her, most likely to whisper about her. He knew most Hogwarts students were good at heart, but that didn‘t make the rumor mill any less vicious. Ron watched her look down and hunch over herself. ‘Poor girl,’ he thought. He knew how awkward she must have felt. He got up from the table and ambled across the dance floor to where she stood.

“Hey Groupie, care to dance?” Laylani’s gaze moved from the floor to the redheaded boy with a lopsided grin in front of her. A grateful smile spread across her face.

“I’d love to, Red.” He was a bit too tall for her, but they made it work. He spun her around the floor awkwardly and she giggled. He smiled at her. She was a nice girl, certainly not Hermione, but he could see why Harry liked her.

They danced in silence for a few moments. He watched her face intently for any sign of worry about the fate of her date or Harry. Her eyes never even flickered towards the door. Ron was unnerved by her calm demeanor. Finally he couldn’t stand it any more.

“So, you’re just going to let Draco and Harry fight? You aren’t going to do anything to stop it?”

She shrugged. “What exactly am I supposed to do? Jump in between them and start quoting Lennon’s ‘Imagine’? If they want to fight, they’re going to fight; I’m just going to let them bitch and yell at each other so they can clear the air and get it out of their systems.”

Although he wasn’t sure what this ‘Imagine’ was, he could tell she didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation. “They didn\'t go out to ‘clear the air,’ and they aren’t going to ‘get it out of their systems.’ ‘It’ has been going on for nearly seven years. Tonight was probably just a catalyst to one killing the other.”

Her eyes went wide in disbelief. This couldn’t be right, she couldn’t be hearing this. “B-but Hermione and your sister are out there, they-they’ll keep them in line, right?” Her eyes were pleading with him to tell her that everything would be alright; that it would be just a minor scuffle and both young men would be fine. As much as he wished he could, he couldn’t lie to her. He sighed.

“Hermione and Ginny probably went to hold Draco down.”

Laylani practically pushed Ron away and ran full throttle towards the door, praying she wasn’t too late.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The minute they had gotten out of the door, Hermione’s shrill voice cut through the air. “Harry, Malfoy, don’t do this. It’s Christmas for crying out loud!” Draco was quick to cut her off.

“Shut it, Mudblood.” He turned towards Harry with malevolent smirk. “This has been a long time coming.”

They slowly circled each other like animals. Malfoy went to draw his wand when Harry spoke.

“No magic, Malfoy. We’ll do this like men.” Draco only laughed, re-pocketing his wand. “Fine, Potter. Have it your way.” Draco knew he could win this; while Harry had been making effortless wins in Quidditch for the past six years, he had been practicing and training until his muscles were in agony. Draco had the upper hand in a physical fight.

Harry threw the first punch despite Hermione’s protests from the sidelines. Draco easily dodged it and struck Harry across the jaw. Ginny stood wide-eyed. Although she was dreading that Harry should get hurt, she was secretly hoping Malfoy would win; then Harry would give up on Laylani, and she would be there to ‘comfort’ him.

Draco hooked Harry again with what was sure to be the cause of a black eye. Draco was delighting in Harry’s failing when Harry punched him in the face hard, splitting his lip. Draco pressed his finger tips against the wound; they came back bloody.

Draco’s rage doubled in its ferocity. His fist connected with Harry’s face, producing a sickening ‘crack.’ The Boy Who Lived barely had a chance to realize his nose was gushing blood when Draco punched him in the gut. Harry doubled over in pain.

Hermione had seen enough. These two were going to fight until one of them was dead. She was just about to head for the door to get Dumbledore when the door burst open. A very angry looking Laylani rushed over to them. When she saw what was going on she knew she had to stop it.

“Omnis* Incarcerous!” Thick coarse ropes came from her fingertips and bound all four of them. They fell over in a chorus of ‘oofs.’

“How could you? How FUCKING could you?” She was livid. She looked over the sorry states of Draco and Harry. “What the hell is wrong with you two? I really thought you two were more sophisticated then to try to beat the shit out of each other! Christ, people are just the same all over.” She shook her head. Hermione started to say something when Laylani whipped around to face the two girls prone figures.

“AND YOU!!! What the hell were you two thinking, just watching? You just don’t fucking let two guys kick the crap out of each other AND NOT TRY TO STOP THEM!!!” She turned back to the boys and put her hands on her hips.

“Apologize to each other.” Draco snorted. “NOW!” she barked. Draco was appalled. He was a Malfoy for Merlin’s sake, and he was not about to apologize to his arch enemy for an ass-kicking he had so sorely deserved. He looked up from where he lay to tell her that. But his eyes locked with her pleading ones. Despite her angry appearance, her eyes were begging him to just let it go. He knew she had already been through so many awful things; he knew how important the Yule Ball was to her. He had left the Manor with the intentions to make this the night of her life and instead he was outside hurting someone who was, Draco grudgingly admitted, her friend. Damn it. Why was it that any time he tried to make something special for her, he always ruined it?

“Sorry, Potter.” he muttered. She smiled warmly to Draco. It wasn’t a great apology, but she knew it was a huge blow to his ego. She turned pointedly to Harry, who was relishing in Draco’s vulnerability. Upon receiving her withering glare he, too, folded. “I’m sorry, Malfoy.”

She smiled and sighed in relief. “Finite Incantatum.” The ropes disappeared. They all got up, Hermione and Ginny rushed to Harry, leaving Draco to get himself up and dust himself off.

“Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s do something about those injuries.” Draco sighed.

“Lani, that means going to see Madame Pomfrey and having to explain what happened, which translates to serious trouble for everyone.”

“Why would we have to do that? Who is she?” Before the others could question her statement, Draco answered her.

“She’s the medi-witch, love.” Laylani rolled her eyes. After her first experience with the medical care of the wizarding world, she was not impressed.

“Draco, I can do it. No medi-quacks involved.”

She went to a confused looking Harry first, as he looked the worst for wear, and placed a hand on his bloody nose. ‘What the hell does she think she’s doing?’ he thought. He initially winced at her soft touch but then it started to feel better although unnaturally warm. He opened his eyes to be dazzled by the soft light coming from her hand. The glow faded and she took it away. His nose was still slightly bruised, but no longer broken nor bleeding. She glanced at her handiwork. She frowned slightly.

“I can’t do anything about the bruises. Sorry.” Harry placed a hand on his nose, marveling at what she had done, without her wand no less. His eye was still tender, but he could cover it with a glamor for tonight and tomorrow make a plausible excuse to Madame Pomfrey.

“Wow. Thanks.” She winked at him, much to Ginny’s irritation.

“No problem.” She turned her attention back to Draco and his bleeding lip. Although she knew it would serve him right to have to go back in there and explain to his friends why he had a split lip, he had done his best to try and right the situation for her. She pressed a finger gently over the wound and healed it for him.

Draco smiled and slipped both arms around her waist to pull her close to him.

“You are amazing.” he said softly. He pulled her into a gentle kiss.

Harry, Hermione and Ginny could only look on in total disbelief. Malfoy had always been possessive of his groupie girls for however long he chose to keep them around, but never once had he been affectionate towards them publicly. Sure, every once in a while there would be some sort of lewd, scandalous display in the hallway for all to see, but this was different; he was gentle with this girl, even loving. It was unsettling to see their pigeon-holed nemesis acting completely out of character. A deep sense of awkwardness settled over the three.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, um, I suppose we should, uh, go back to the dance.”

“Right.” said Hermione quickly. The three turned to head inside. Draco and Laylani followed suit.

Once they got inside, Laylani turned to Harry. “You still owe me a dance.” she chided playfully. He smiled and offered her his arm. She felt Draco’s grip on her hand tighten. She turned to him and whispered in his ear.

“Draco, I may dance with Harry, but you are my date. You are the man who brought me here, and the man I intend to leave with. One dance is not going to change that.” He relaxed his grip and she took Harry’s arm.

He crossed silently over to the Head table, his jealousy tamed. If Potter wanted a dance with her, so be it. She was still his girl, and still coming home with him. He smirked. Hermione joined him at the table.

\"Alright, Malfoy, what are you planning? One minute your ready to kill Harry then she says the word and you apologize? Why?\"

He scowled. Leave it to that nosy mudblood to go prying where it was none of her business.

\"You couldn\'t even begin to understand, Mudblood.\" But he knew. As he watched Laylani move with an ethereal grace across the dance floor, Draco knew he had done the right thing and he knew why. Because she was worth it, plain and simple.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There was an unspoken truce between Draco and the Golden trio, at least for the night. Draco introduced Laylani to more of his Slytherin housemates, who were only slightly less intimidating when sober. She was a little taken aback by how many of them had chosen to wear black. Except for one girl who was wearing the most offensive color of pink she had ever seen. With her uncanny canine-like features, Laylani knew this had to be that Pansy. The Dog Girl. Only when Draco took off for a moment to speak to Professor Snape did Pansy talk to her.

\"Listen, you stupid little bitch,\" she hissed, grabbing one of her arms in a painful grip, \"Draco is mine and if I see you touch him again, I\'ll hex you so bad you\'ll wish you were never born.\" The surrounding Slytherins in earshot leaned in closer to hear Laylani\'s reaction.

That did it. Laylani had already had a rocky night, what with the staring and the fighting. She was done putting up with other people\'s bullshit. Although she had promised herself she wouldn\'t, she drew upon the magic she had learned in the streets.

\"You know, Pansy, you have such a way with words. It really would be a shame to let you use them in such a vulgar way.\" Before Pansy knew what hit her, Laylani had wrapped her fingers around her throat and said \"Silens.**\" Whatever Pansy said next never came out. Laylani took her hand away from Pansy, wiping it on her robe.

\"It\'s a nice little spell, isn\'t it?\" she said. \"The beauty of it is I can\'t take it off.\" Pansy\'s eyes widened and she mouthed a stream of expletives. Laylani continued, undaunted. \"That\'s up to you. You won\'t be able to speak another word until you apologize to me.\" The surrounding Slytherins snickered. Laylani stood there expectantly, but all Pansy gave her was a rude gesture.

\"Alright, have it your way. This spell can go on for two minutes or twenty years. It\'s up to you.\"

Draco rejoined the group, only to be attacked by a mute Pansy.

\"What the hell do you want?\" She clawed at his robes, first gesturing to Laylani and then her throat. \"Lani, what is she on about? What the hell is wrong with her?\" Laylani put on a face of mock concern.

\"I don\'t know. Is something wrong, Pansy dear?\" she said in a sugary sweet voice. She could read the silent \'Fuck You\' that came from Pansy\'s lips.

Laylani was suddenly struck with a wicked idea. \"Draco, darling, I\'m feeling a little tired. Would it be all right if we went home now?\"

Draco wasn\'t sure exactly what was going on, but he had a pretty good idea his girlfriend was involved in something underhanded that had to do with Pansy\'s silence, and damned if he didn\'t want in on it.

\"Of course, love.\" The couple turned to leave.

\"Goodbye, Pansy.\" Laylani called over her shoulder. \"I\'ll see you in a week or so.\" Pansy was furious. If she didn\'t apologize to this girl now, she was going to be mute for at least another week!

\"I\'m sorry!\" she blurted.

Laylani turned around. \"Apology accepted.\" Draco and Laylani left, leaving behind a fuming Pansy in a group of laughing Slytherins.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They arrived at the Manor just after midnight. After a quick goodnight to Lucius and Narcissa, they climbed the three flights of stairs to their bedrooms. At his door, Laylani gave Draco a quick kiss.

\"Goodnight, Dragon. Thank you for the wonderful evening.\" She turned for her bedroom but Draco stopped her with a heavy hand on her shoulder.

\"Ah, ah, ah, love. You didn\'t forget our deal did you?\" She could hear the glee in his voice. She grinned and turned to face him.

\"Of course not.\" With one hand she hiked up the skirt to her robe, revealing the green stockings. With the other, she tugged at her neckline, revealing a flash of the corset. She let go, shrugged his hand of her shoulder and entered her room. She winked to him.

\"Goodnight.\" She almost had the door closed, when he put his foot in.

\"Darling,\" he said in a forced voice of calm, \"You were supposed to wear that for me tonight.\"

She smiled innocently to him. \"I did, love. I wore it all night.\"

He barely grit out the next sentence through clenched teeth. \"I was supposed to see you in it.\"

\"Then you should have made the parameters of your deal clearer. Think of this as a learning experience.\" She pushed his foot out of the door and closed it in his face. He heard the soft \'click\' as she turned the lock.

He stood for a moment, shocked at how easily she had pulled one over on him. He leaned his forehead against the door. \"Since when did you get to be so devious?\" he asked. He heard her reply through the door.

\"I\'m going to be Mrs. Draco Malfoy. Did you think it wouldn\'t rub off?\" He walked back to his room, still trying to figure out exactly how she had gotten him. Thinking back he realized that no, he hadn\'t technically said the words \'I want to see you in it.\' Once inside the room, he checked the closet hoping against hope she hadn\'t locked it. No such luck.

Only when he had crawled into bed did the meaning of her last words to him set in. She had said she was \'going to be Mrs. Draco Malfoy.\' She said was going to marry him! They hadn\'t discussed it since that awkward day he had left for Hogwarts. He had decided to let her lead since then, until she figured out what she wanted. And she wanted to marry him!

He was so pleased, and yet somehow unfulfilled. It was nice, what she had said, but it seemed so...unofficial. Draco needed a solid and direct answer from her before he could really be satisfied. As he began to drift into sleep, he began to plan.





*Omnis is Latin for \'all\'
**\'Silens\' is Latin for silent.