Murky Waters

as always, let me start out by saying....this is so very much not mine. illiana, kendra and kendra\'s family are. but the rest are from the very fertile imagination of j.k. rowling. i am merely borrowing and adding my bits to hers. i make no money from this. only the lovely reviews that you kind souls leave me. and the joy that i get from writing it all.

cameos will appear in this chapter, as well as some smut. i\'m not sure how much, but there will be some here.

please feel free to leave me a review and tell me what you think. do not flame me, or i will roast your ass with it!

Chapter Fourteen: Dinner With the Malfoys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\' I think you have an arse load of explaining to do!\' Draco spat at Illiana the moment they stepped from the hearth into his living room. Her head snapped up, her amethyst eyes narrowing on him in anger. He returned her stare, his own gaze one of storm clouds that were roiling, prepared to burst with the fury of the storm. She frowned at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

\' I have explaining to do? What the hell about you?\' she spat, refusing to be labeled in the wrong with this one. She might be willing to admit they could both be at fault, but he was as guilty as she in the matter.

\' I wasn\'t the one parading about The Three Broomsticks in almost nothing!\'

\'And I believe that Kendra explained my presence there!\'

\'A likely excuse! Why she should need to spy on Snape is beyond me! The girl is.....\'

\'Completely lacking in confidence at the moment. In case you hadn\'t noticed, her belly\'s gotten rather round lately. She\'s certain he doesn\'t find her attractive, and she had no idea that the bachelor party this evening was for him! She believes that he\'s looking for another woman already. She asked me to go in disguise to spy on him. There is no other reason to it than that!\' she explained, her teeth clenched together to keep her from shouting at him.

\'That still does not explain your behavior!\' he snapped.

\'What behavior? I did what was expected of me, thank you very much!\'

\'And you were expected to kiss Neville bloody Longbottom?\'

\'I would imagine Snape did that because he knew who I was. It wasn\'t something I had planned on doing.\'

\' It looked to me as if you enjoyed it!\'

\' I am not even going to dignify that with a reply. Unlike you, I intended to fully keep my promise to remain exclusively yours,\' she looked at him pointedly.

\'What do you mean, unlike me?\' he looked confused.

\' If I hadn\'t have shocked you into leaving, you would have been perfectly content to shag Aradhel Oronar in the broom cupboard with out giving me a thought, wouldn\'t you?\' she sneered the words as she spoke them.

\'But you were Aradhel!\'

\'And you didn\'t know that at the time.\'

\'Well, you were the one who came on to me! You....\' his eyes narrowed as he studied her, then his scowl returned, looking as wintery as his gaze. \'You were doing it on purpose! To test me! Weren\'t you?\'

\'You agreed to keep the relationship mutually exclusive! And the moment you think I\'m not around, you pick the first willing woman! That hurts, Draco. No matter what our relationship may be. It still hurts!\'

\'Just as it bloody made me see red when I realized that you had kissed Neville so convincingly. You! Not anyone else, Illlana. You,\' he turned his back on her, hiding the emotions he was sure were playing over his face. He was hurt, yes. Not terribly, but he was. Mostly, and it was the one thing he found totally shocking, he was jealous. He couldn\'t explain why, but he was jealous. There should have been no kiss with Neville.

Oh, he knew that they were both wrong in what they had done. They had both behaved abominably. Her for enticing him knowingly. He for forgetting he had made a promise to her to remain hers alone for the moment. She was right. He would have shagged her in the broom cupboard, had she not brought him back to his senses. And he would have done his best to shag her senseless. But it wasn\'t bloody likely that he would admit that to her.

He took three steps for the door leading to the stairs, fully intending to go down to the shop and work. Her voice cut across the heavy silence, halting his progress. \'Where are you going?\'

\' I\'m.....\' he was ready to tell her that he was going downstairs to work. But he stopped. It was his flat, for Merlin\'s sake. She wouldn\'t run him out of it so easily! He turned to face her, the anger glinting in his eyes. She frowned again, her posture telling him she wouldn\'t stop pestering him until he told her what she wanted to know. \'Nowhere. I\'m going nowhere.\'

Draco crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes boring into hers. He watched her, the way her chest heaved as she breathed in a faster than normal pace. He found the image exciting, knowing that her passions were running high. It may have only been anger that made her cheeks flush and her bosom heave. But it was turning him on. He found the anger had brought with it the sharp edge of desire. His cock was swollen and aching against the confining material of his trousers. He wanted her.

Setting his jaw, he stalked across the room toward her. She didn\'t move, but he saw her eyes widen a moment before his hands curled around her arms. He jerked her to him, pressing his body to hers as she allowed his mouth to take hers. She made a squeak of surprise, then her arms went up around his neck. She moaned, settling herself even closer to him as she shamelessly rubbed her hips against his growing erection.

He moved for the bedroom, dragging her unprotesting form with him. It seemed that anger and fighting were as much an aphrodisiac as a few well placed hands and lips. He was more than looking forward to finding out how heated the evening was going to get.....

~*~*~*~*~

\'By Circe! What the bloody hell is so important that you must awaken me at so ungodly an hour?\' Draco moaned as he felt a finger poke rather firmly into his sheet covered bum. He buried his face in the pillow and tried desperately to go back to sleep. But he felt cold air kiss his bottom, telling him that the sheets had been pulled away. Groaning, he lifted his head from the pillow and looked up. Illiana was staring at him, an anxious look on her face. She was fully clothed, wearing the ice blue gown she had brought home that one day, as well as the matching robes.

\'Get your lazy arse up! We have a wedding to attend and we need to be leaving soon,\' she ordered and went over to his wardrobe, throwing it open. At least he had mounds of dress clothes.

\'Wedding? What wedding?\' he asked, waiting for the fog to clear from his brain. He had partaken of far too much alcohol last night, and he had vague recollections of fighting with Illiana over something, then a long night of intense, pleasurable shagging. Anything before or after that seemed to be a blur. He gave a loud yawn, then stood up and stretched. Trying to go back to sleep would be pointless. She would never let him, now that she had him awake.

\'What do you mean, what wedding? Whose wedding do you think?\' she put her hands on her hips. He tried to think, finding it difficult after a night of drinking. For a moment, he had the wild idea that she was talking about Snape and Kendra. But he shook the thought off. Snape would never get married. The man was far too stubborn to even consider it. No, she had to mean..... His eyes went wide when the answer came to him. There was no way she was going to get him to marry her. She saw the look he gave her and frowned. \'Honestly. It is not you and I. Now get dressed and come along. We need to be at Hogwarts in half an hour.\'

Draco moved toward his wardrobe, pulling out dress robes for the event. He still wasn\'t sure what was going on, but he supposed he would find out soon enough. It took a moment or two to slip into his clothing. Then he made a side trip to the bathroom to comb his hair back and make sure that he looked presentable. Before he had even finished straightening himself up, Illiana was dragging him into the living room, both their wands clutched in her free hand.

They Apparated ot the edge of Hogwarts grounds, then walked the rest of the way up to the castle. The Entrance Hall was empty and nearly silent, except for the haunting melodies of the caroling ghosts. She lead him wordlessly up to the Great Hall, where he found the entire staff assembled. Snape, the Headmaster, and another man had their heads together. The three of them were obviously deep in conversation.

Quite a few people milled about on both sides of the Hall. Every table had been removed, with exception of the staff\'s table, leaving the floor empty. It made the room all the more spacious. Slytherin and Gryffindor banners hung from the ceiling. A series of Christmas trees lined the back wall, each one growing gradually in height so that the center one was tallest and formed a peak above the rest. Just as he was noticing that Harry, half the Weasley\'s and Neville Longbottom were present, Illiana spoke to him. \' I\'ll be back. I have to go get Kendra. Play nice with the others, or I\'ll hex you.\'

He gave a brief nod, watching as she retraced her steps back to the door. He allowed his gaze to travel back over the people in the large room. Each one seemed to be decked out in their very best. The staff was on one side of the Hall, his former classmates with them. The other side held a large gathering of people, all wearing some sort of plaid. All the men wore kilts, while the one woman was wearing a plaid sash pinned to one shoulder. They must be Kendra\'s family. So, perhaps the far fetched idea about Snape getting married wasn\'t so out of the park after all.

He let his gaze move back to his former Potions Professor, studying the clothing the man wore. He was decked out in velvet robes of black that were accented with green. He\'s never seen Snape dress up like this before. Perhaps there was more to his relationship with Kendra than Draco had credited. A scary thought hit him. If Snape could make the conscious decision to get married, it meant that even Draco himself would be fair game. That idea was not appealing.

Ignoring the warning shiver that went up his spine, Draco moved over to where Harry stood in conversation with the Weasleys and Neville. Each one of them greeted him, Ginny giving him a look of confusion. He ignored her for the moment, turning instead to Harry. \'Am I completely crackers, or is this wedding for Snape?\'

\'You\'re not crackers, Malfoy. It\'s for Snape,\' Ron groaned.

\'He\'s seriously marrying Kendra?\' Draco could imagine that he looked as surprised as he felt. Ron merely nodded, looking completely morose, as if some great crime was being commited. He turned to look at the man in question once again. Snape didn\'t look nervous. In fact, he seemed to be in as much control as normal. It was annoying to his very teeth to see the man so collected on his wedding day. He noted the arrival of Sir Nicholas. The Gryffindor ghost went over to where Snape and Dumbledore stood, obviously informing the two that Illiana and Kendra were on their way.

Dumbledore lifted his hand in a signal, and everyone seemed to move as one into place. They waited in silence, small bursts of whispering breaking into the anxious waiting. Finally, the doors opened and the two women stepped inside.

Draco watched Kendra as she stopped and stared. He could see the confusion on her face, even across the Hall as she was. She had no idea what was going on. He smirked, entranced with the idea that she didn\'t know something. He knew she had known as much, if not more than Granger during school. But she had always been silent, allowing the others to answer. Today\'s apparent lack of knowledge on her behalf was interesting to him, and not just a little funny. Snape finally moved to fetch her, or Draco figured she would stand in the doorway all day long.

Snape and Kendra moved to stand before Dumbledore, the pale hand of the Potions Master firmly wrapped around that of his soon to be wife. When Dumbledoe said something about having at it, Kendra interrupted to ask what they were having at. The reply of her wedding nearly knocked her on her arse. He didn\'t know what she finally said to Snape, but it had the man smiling. A real, honest to gods smile. Draco was shocked.

After another interruption, this one from her mother, the ceremony was underway. Illiana came to stand with him, watching the ceremony take place with a faintly misty eyed look on her face. Almost dreamy like, as if she were thinking of what it would be like if this was her wedding. The thought was unsettling to him. Not soon enough for Draco\'s well being, the Headmaster finally pronounced them married.

Snape swept Kendra into his arms carefully, then took her lips in a passionate kiss. He was unnerved to see the man, normally stoic and staid, showing such a range of emotions in so short a time. Happiness and desire were feelings that Draco didn\'t think any one had ever attributed to the snarky Potions Master.

The gathered guests swarmed about the two newly weds to offer their congratulations. Draco was quietly laughing at the look on Snape\'s face when Madam Sprout forced him into a hug. It was a new and unusual experience to see the dark man so discomfitted.The staff finally cleared away from his former teacher, allowing he and the others the chance to speak with Snape.

\'Bloody hell! This is unbelievable!\' Ron blurted out before any of them had the opportunity to speak. A pair of black eyes slid to Ron\'s face, a midnight brow lifting in silent question. \' I never would have dreamed.... I mean, I can\'t believe you\'ve gotten married!\'

Kendra arrived then, her arm slipping around his back as she moved up next to him. He didn\'t look down, but Draco noted that he put a hand on her back in a very proprietory manner. \'Well, Mr. Weasley. I am human, after all. You can\'t expect me to remain the solitary bastard all my days, can you?\' Snape asked, his voice strained with the effort it took to hold onto his patience.

\'He\'s only marrying me because I threatened to curse him with spots if he didn\'t,\' Kendra interjected, her voice oozing mischief. Every one of them, Draco included, turned to gape at her as if she were starkers. No one had ever dared to say such a thing in Professor Severus Snape\'s presence before.

\'Mind your tongue, brat. Or else I\'ll be forced to take you over my knee,\' he hissed at her. A warning or not, she chose to ignore it. Draco could tell from her interaction with him that the two would be well suited in every aspect..... ok, so he wasn\'t sure about *that* aspect. He certainly didn\'t want to think about *that* aspect. He\'d be bloody scarred for life if he even thought about Snape and sex in the same sentence. But he knew she could hold her own against him.

\'You can\'t fit me over your knee. And you know it!\' she grinned shamelessly. Then she turned her attention to the rest of them.\' Thank you all for coming. It was terribly nice of you.\'

\'Nice, my arse! We had to see the git get married!\' Fred exclaimed loudly, which brought a chuckle to Kendra\'s lips. As well as the rest of them, Draco was sure, if the sudden reddening of faces and vaguely fart like noises coming from them was any indication. George was nodding his head profusely in agreement with his twin.

\'Congratulations to you both,\' Harry said politely, sending a glare his best friend\'s way.

\'Yes,\' Draco finally spoke, drawling out the one word. He looked from one to the other. \'Congratulations. I never thought I\'d live to see the day when Snape married. I hope you can continue to give him his daily ration of hell, MacLeod.\'

\'That would be Snape now, Mr. Malfoy. And she never let\'s the opportunity go by to make me miserable. It seems she was practising for this marriage long before the possiblity came to me,\' Snape replied with his own drawl. Draco noted that Kendra elbowed him smartly in the ribs, then turned and looked behind her.

\'Oh, look! Food! I\'m bloody starved. Let\'s go eat, Severus!\' she hooked her arm in his and dragged him away.

\'Food? Is that all you think about anymore these days is food?\' they heard him grumble in his normal sullen tones as he followed along behind her. Ron immediately launched into a monologue involving Snape, marriage, and the possibilities. Draco felt a hand touch his and turned to find Illiana staring up at him.

\'How long have you known about this?\' Draco asked her without preamble.

\'For some time. Professor Snape asked me to keep an eye on Kendra. She was beginning to feel rather left out when he was heavy into the planning stage. That is the reason why I was at the bachelor party. I was supposed to spend the evening with her, making sure she went anywhere but the school or The Three Broomsticks. But she somehow overheard a snippet of information in regards to the party, and she turned to me. I couldn\'t very well turn her down. She was feeling rather blue.\'

\' I see,\' He nodded, letting his gaze wander to where Kendra and Snape sat at the table, Her head was leaning against his shoulder and she was smiling up at him as if there were no other man in the world. Perhaps love truly was blind. Or perhaps it made you see more than what others saw. It was an interesting thought. One Draco wasn\'t sure he was completely comfortable with. His gaze moved back to Illiana, who was also watching the couple. There was a slightly saddened look on her face. He turned her to face him, cradling her face in his hands. \'What is it? You look sad.\'

\'No, I\'m not sad. Not really. It\'s more like wistful. I am happy to see the two of them happy. But at the same time..... Well,\' she shrugged. \'Things don\'t always happen the way we think they will.\' He was confused by her words. They were cryptic, and he couldn\'t help but wonder if she was referring to him, or if she was perhaps speaking of someone else.

\'Well, as this is a happy occasion, I forbid frowns,\' he commanded in his typical arrogance. Which made her laugh. He couldn\'t help but smile, then took her hand and lead her over to the table to sample the finest of the House Elves, before Ron and Hagrid had it all gone.

After the two of them had made plates and eaten, Illiana excused herself to go speak to Kendra. Draco remained where he was, watching her. The red head looked up from the conversation she was having with Snape at Illiana, then jumped up from her seat to hug the other woman. He smiled, then found his attention snared by Harry....

\'You knew, didn\'t you?\' Kendra asked Illiana as the two hugged.

\'Of course I knew. It\'s why you\'re wearing that beautiful gown today. It\'s why you\'re even here for the ceremony. I have been a party to this since the end of the Expo. Severus asked me to stay and help keep you occupied. He was worried that you would do something stupid to him if there was no one to keep an eye on you,\' she explained.

\'He\'s right. I\'d have cursed him soundly. I had begun to think that he had grown disinterested in me because I was getting fat.\' Illiana saw the scowl brought to his face by her words. He was wisely keeping his mouth shut, his lips pressed together so as not to say something that would undoubtably ruin the mood for the pregnant girl.

\'Thank you for allowing me to be a part of something so wonderful,\' Illiana said, her tone conveying her belief that she wasn\'t wanted. Kendra gave her another firm hug.

\'You\'re my friend, Illiana. Probably my only true friend. I would have been displeased, had you not been here to share this with me,\' the red head told her. She would have gone on, but Professor McGonagall\'s voice cut into the soft noise of the room, announcing it was time to for cake. Kendra promised to speak more with her later, then she urged Snape up to go cut the cake. Illiana made her way back to Draco\'s side.

The couple cut the cake, each one taking the first slice as was custom with newly weds. Snape picked his up in time with Kendra. She opened her mouth to take her bite, and there was nothing she could do to prevent him from smearing it all over her chin. Draco laughed. He had to. He couldn\'t recall ever seeing her get messy. Ever. In the entire seven years they had attended Hogwarts, she had always been clean. Untidy, perhaps, but never dirty. And now here she stood, covered in cake and frosting.

He stopped, though, when she turned her gaze on his. She was glaring at him, a threat and a promise in her eyes. He was in trouble. Whatever punishment she came up with for him, he could live with. It would be well worth the brief laugh he got at her expense. He held back the laughter that he would have let ring across the Hall, but couldn\'t contain the little chuckles that shook his shoulders. He did also make note that her brothers, all seven of them, had kept their mouths shut. That made him wonder if she had terrorized the lot of them. Great big men, afraid of one woman. It was more than laughable.

It was sometime later that Draco caught sight of Severus Snape grabbing the hand of his new bride. The man had a look on his face that told anyone who happened to see him what was on the Potions Master\'s mind. Kendra gave him a startled look, then followed behind him. The two made silently for the doors of the Great Hall. Draco knew without a doubt that the final destination would be the dungeons and Snape\'s private rooms. He was startled when the thought hit him once again that perhaps what Kendra saw in the Professor wasn\'t at all what he and the others saw. Maybe there was more to the snarky man than a sneer, a scowl, and an icy demeanor. Truly a frightening thought.

Illiana came over to him then, a smile on her lips and two spots of red in her cheeks from the obvious enjoyment she\'d gotten from the day. He\'d watched, not entirely happy, as she\'d danced with nearly every man present. The Weasley twins had been a particularly sharp thorn in his bum, but he had held his tongue on the subject. He had behaved rather like an ass the previous evening. There was no reason to make himself look like a bigger one than he already had.

She slipped her arm around his back, leaning in close to lay her cheek against his chest. He looked down at her, startled for a moment. Then a smirk spread his lips. He lifted his own arm, placing it across her shoulders in a not too subtle show of possession. \' I\'m not certain about you, but I think I would like to return to the flat,\' she nearly whispered. He heard the sultry suggestion in her voice and looked down at her.

\'You would? Are you certain? We can remain at the party for a while longer, if you want,\' he offered, keeping the hope out of his voice that she would turn it down. For some strange reason he couldn\'t fathom, the entire day so far had put randy thoughts in his head. Okay, far more randier than usual. But the fact that a wedding had done it shocked him. Especially as it had been Snape\'s wedding that had done it to him.

\'Let\'s go. We can safely leave without offending anyone. Kendra and Severus have already left. I think we can go, as well,\' she returned, her arm tightening around him. He could swear her voice had gone lower, huskier with the last sentence.

\'Very well, then. If you\'re sure,\' he made his voice come out sounding as if it didn\'t matter to him, one way or the other.

\'Oh, I\'m sure,\' she whispered to him. Her hand moved a few inches to grasp his bum in a quick pinch. He glanced down at her, smiling faintly, then motioned to the door with his head and began leading her to it. He wanted to Apparate home, as he felt that this would prove to be a very long day, indeed.....

~*~*~*~*~

Illiana stepped into the flat, a few bags clutched in one hand. She had gone and done some last minute Christmas shopping, picking up a few small gifts for her friends. She found Draco pacing the area of his living room between the back of the couch and the bar. He was dressed in expensive, well tailored clothing, his dress robes flapping around his legs as he stalked back and forth. He stopped moving, his head snapping up when he heard her enter. She could feel the full weight of his disapproval in his stare. \'Where the bloody hell have you been? Do you realize what time it is? We have to be leaving soon, so I\'d recommend you go get changed. And wear something dressy. Either the blue you wore to Snape and Kendra\'s wedding or the purple you wore the night of the party. Go on. Get a move on!\'

\'What ever is the matter with you, Draco?\' she asked, setting the bags down in a near by chair. He was acting as if her were terribly put out by something. Yes, there was anger evident in the way he moved, the way he looked at her. Yet, she couldn\'t help but think that he was suffering from a touch of fear. It sounded silly, but she felt sure he was afraid of something.

\' I\'ve had an owl from Mother. *We*,\' he stressed the word pointedly. \'Are expected up at Malfoy Manor for Christmas dinner in fifteen minutes!\'

\'You and I?\' she paled, hoping she had heard him wrong.

\'Yes. You and I. Now go change. You must make the proper impression. And hurry!\' he spat. She nodded wordlessly, automatically heading toward the bedroom. She was worried about meeting Draco\'s mother. It could mean any number of things, and none of them could be good.

~*~*~*~*~

Malfoy Manor loomed up over them impressively, the building speaking volumes about wealth, position, and power. She gave a fleeting thought to the fact that she was titled and most likely above these people, then shoved it away. She was no better than the next person, no matter what rank they held or how much money they could claim. She had never been one to use her title to put herself any higher than those around her. She wasn\'t about to start now. With that last thought, she straightened out her clothing and followed Draco up the steps to the double doors that marked the entrance.

One side of the entryway was flung open, and Illiana looked down to see a small, shabby looking House Elf holding the panel open. The look in it\'s eyes spoke of ill treatment, and she could swear the little being was waiting in cowering fear for the next blow to be struck. \'Master Draco and Miss. Please come in.\'

The Elf stepped back from the door, hiding behind the wooden barrier as she and Draco entered. Illiana glanced breifly at her surroundings, absently noting the grandeur of the entrance hall. Her gaze almost immediately went back to the cowering servant. She knelt down, not caring what anyone would think of her actions. \'Thank you. I am Illiana, and you must call me so.\'

The Elf\'s eyes went wide, making them appear to bulge from the sockets. Illiana couldn\'t help but think that they looked as if they would fall out of their sockets. She smiled at the Elf, holding out her hand. The tiny creature shrank back a little before glancing from her hand to Draco. When it saw that he was merely amused by the actions he was witnessing, the Elf stepped closer to her and put out it\'s own knobby hand. Illiana shook it gently, not wanting to startle the creature. It was obviously abused. Something she couldn\'t tolerate. \'Piddles is glad to meet Illiana.\' the Elf pronounced as it shook her hand almost greedily.

\' I am pleased to meet you, Piddles. You have a fine home,\' she told him, smiling as she extracted her hand and stood. The Elf seemed to puff up at the compliment. Neither one noticed the faint look of humor Draco wore. He had come to despise the way his father treated the help, and to see Illiana treat Piddles as an equal was truly a sight. He wondered, not for the first time since the owl had arrived, how she and his father would behave after their last meeting. He was both looking forward to and dreading the event.

\'Come. Piddles will escort Miss Illiana and Master Draco into the dining room,\' the elf turned from them and began walking the length of the hall. Illiana gave Draco a smile, then followed their eager guide to what she was beginning to feel sure was her doom.

The dining room was long and narrow, telling her that it was the formal dining room. The long table was set with plates, goblets, and gleaming silverware along both sides. A silvery green napkin of what Illiana suspected was linen sat on each plate. They had all been cleverly charmed into the shape of a snake, proudly displaying the family\'s connection with Slytherin House. Nearly all the chairs were taken with guests. Only four remained empty. Lucius Malfoy stood behind a chair at the head of the table, glaring at her in a not so sublte manner. A tall blonde woman was making her way toward them, and She saw the resemblence between mother and son.

\'Draco, I had despaired of you making it,\' the woman said as she embraced her only child. Draco hugged her back. The two parted, and the woman turned to look at Illiana. \'And this is the Baronesse von Haifisch, yes?\'

\'Yes. I am Baronnesse Illiana von Haifisch. You must be Draco\'s mother. I can see he gets his excellent manners from you,\' Illiana replied, making a formal bow to the woman. This initial meeting would be a test, and she had every intention of passing it. When she returned to her standing position, the other woman looked at her for a few more moments before breaking into a smile.

\'Ah, a diplomatic woman. Welcome to Malfoy Manor. I am Narcissa Malfoy. Please take a seat so we may begin our meal. Lucius, be a good host and escort Miss von Haifisch to her chair,\' Narcissa ordered in a tone that bespoke of control. Illiana found it interesting that Lucius appeared to be in control when he was by himself. Perhaps Draco\'s mother wore the pants in the family. She watched as the husband exchanged a rather infuriated look with his wife. Perhaps she didn\'t. Perhaps they shared the role in equal parts.

\'As you wish, my dear,\' he inclined his head, his words as smooth and flowing as always. It made Illiana wonder if she was the only one that saw the tightness around his eyes. He was not happy to have been ordered about like a servant. Nor did he appear to like the task that had been set for him. But he moved toward her with the fluid grace that he was known for and had passed to his son. Lucius presented her with his arm. She looked up at him, a sweet smile on her face, then placed her arm on his. He moved toward her seat slowly, inclining his head so he could whisper in her ear.

\'Try any of your tricks here, Miss von Haifisch, and no one will even know where to begin the search for your remains,\' he hissed at her. It made her smile widen, her eyes twinkle with a mixture of mischief and anticipation.

\'Then perhaps you should try keeping your hands to yourself. It would be a shame to have to prove you wrong yet again,\' she told him. They had arrived at her chair by then, and he graciously held it out for her while she sat. She gave him a smile meant as a thank you, then sat and allowed him to push it a little closer to the table. All eyes in the room were latched on to her, so she turned a smile on everyone. She wondered for a moment if she were to be the main course.

Draco was seated across from her, faint lines of confusion marring the smooth beauty of his forehead. He had no more idea of what was going on than she did, it seemed. Narcissa and Lucius shared the end of the table. She sat next to her son, while Lucius was on her right. She wasn\'t sure she liked the arrangements, but she wouldn\'t be gauche and argue in front of anyone. She had learned some time ago that there was a method to everyone\'s madness. Well, perhaps not Kendra\'s. She still had no clue what made her new friend tick. She didn\'t think she\'d ever find out.

A small army of House Elves entered almost as soon as the last of the party was seated. Each one bore a tray of food, moving around the table to stand behind certain guests. When Lucius nodded his head briefly, the Elves began to pass out the first course. Illiana found a light salad placed before her. It looked enticing, and she found her previous nervousness replaced with hunger.

There were seven courses to the meal, each one being served in a faintly feudal manner. The Elves brought in the trays and waited around the table until their lord, Lucius, gave them permission to serve. During the course of the meal, she shared several curious looks with Draco. It appeared he had no more idea of what was going on than she had. But she had felt his feet brushing hers under the table. She somehow thought it was an attempt on his part to let her know he would make this event up to her. In one way or another.

She had also decided to make Lucius uncomfortable. He would shoot her a glance every so often that promised much pain, should she ever fall into his hands. She would always return it with a faint smile, as if she only found him mildly amusing. She certainly didn\'t find him threatening. And so it was that she decided, after a particularly nasty look, that she should remind him of who he was dealing with.

Her hand found his thigh. While he didn\'t jump at the contact, she knew he was surprised by the look he passed her. His muscles tightented as she allowed her hand to stroke up his well muscled leg. He had yet to grow soft and flabby, like most men his age. It was a rather pleasing thing, or would have been, had she not been spending her time entertaining his son. She curled her fingers over his knee, then slowly ran it up the length of his thigh. When she reached a spot just a few inches below his crotch, she formed a fist and left it there for a few moments. Then she repeated the entire process several more times. When he looked over at her, a scowl covering the faint tinge of desire, she smiled and left off. Let him stew in his own juices the rest of the evening. It would serve him right.

The meal was ended with a rather tasty Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte. Illiana was a little surprised and quite a bit happy to see the cake brought out to the table. It made her homesick, but the idea that perhaps the dessert had been made with her in mind was nice. It was delicious, nearly as good as a cake made in Germany. She noticed that nothing remained of the several brought to the table, everyone having eaten them right up. She wanted to find out who the chef was that had baked such a fine delicacy and thank him properly.

Lucius stood, signifying the end of the meal. Narcissa stood next to him, then Draco. Illiana followed suit, noticing that the table guests had waited to stand until after the Malfoy family had come to it\'s feet. Lucius held out his arm to Narcissa, but she shook her head. He cocked a silver brow at his wife, prompting her to explain. \'You go on ahead with Draco. I wish to speak to Illiana in private for a moment.\'

\'As you wish, my dear,\' he gave a bow of his head, then turned to stare at Illiana with a look of cold cruelty and arrogant joy. He expected his wife to lambast her for something. That much was obvious. She managed to hide the sudden feeling of dread, keeping her face a politely blank mask. He stepped past her, Draco following behind and giving her a faint look of concern. She smiled at him broadly, letting him know it would be perfectly alright. She waited as the guests filed out of the room, heading through a door opposite the one she had been brought in. When everyone had left, Narcissa moved to her side.

\' I\"m sure you\'re wondering a great many things this evening, Illiana,\' she said without preamble. Illiana nodded. The older woman slipped an arm through her guest\'s, starting a slow, leisurely stroll toward where the others had disappeared. \'So I will make a deal with you. I\'ll answer those questions of yours, so long as you promise me one thing.\'

\'Alright,\' Illiana agreed, holding back the sigh she felt rise to her lips. This was the moment where Narcissa Malfoy would do one of three things. She would demand Illiana leave her son alone, demand the two of them get married at once, or point blank beat the living hell out of her for what had been done to Lucius.

\' I invited you here tonight because I wished to meet you. The few exchanges I\'ve had with Draco lately have shown a side of him I\'ve never seen before. He\'s acting more a man these days and less an spoiled little prat who always gets his way. I wish to thank you for bringing about that change in him.\'

\'You\'re welcome,\' Illiana replied, astonished at the confession. She had seen some changes in Draco in the time she had spent with him, but she hadn\'t thought anyone else had seen it as well.

\'You should feel priviledged, Illiana. Draco has never before brought a woman home with him to a family function. Even when I\'ve requested he do so. I think my son has taken a fancy to you.\'

That bit of news was far more shocking than the previous one had been. Illiana stared at her in silence for a moment, then shook her head and laughed. She would most likely not like the next bit coming, but to know that Narcissa thought Draco had \'taken a fancy\' to her was funny. \'And what do you ask of me in return, Mrs. Malfoy?\'

\'Please, call me Narcissa. I had heard a rumor that you know a certain spell, and I would ask that you teach it to me,\' the older woman told her. Illiana stood in shock for a moment. She hadn\'t been prepared for this. For being asked to get the hell out of Draco\'s life, yes. But not this. Narcissa laughed at her surprise. \'Draco is an adult, and capable of making his own decisions. I am not like his father. Lucius would love nothing more than to control every aspect of his life, as he once did when Draco was only five.\'

\'This spell you wish to know?\' Illiana recovered herself enough to ask the question.

\' I was told you know the Primal Lust spell. I should like to know it. The full spell, too. Not the paltry bit that Lucius helped Draco cast on his flat,\' Narcissa informed her, a gleam coming into the woman\'s eyes.

\'You know about that?\' Illiana nearly choked on the breath she had been taking. She certainly hadn\'t expected to hear that from Draco\'s mother.

\'Oh yes. I know all about it,\' she nodded her blonde head. \' I know that Snape gave it to Lucius some time ago. I also know that Lucius has a tendency to take his latest toy to Draco\'s flat. I know quite a bit about my husband\'s indulgences. He, of course, thinks I don\'t. But I would like an opportunity to make him feel some of the pain I have hidden from him. I would like you to help by teaching me the Primal Lust spell.

\'Of course, Narcissa. Anything for you,\' Illiana smirked as she said it. Lucius Malfoy was in so much trouble.....

Draco and Lucius looked up from where they stood at the back of the ballroom. Narcissa and Illiana had just entered the room, laughing and smiling like old friends. Neither man took it as a good sign. Lucius wondered why Narcissa hald felt it neccessary to talk to Illiana. He was certain she had no idea who the wench was, what she had done. So the need to speak, in private, had worried him. He could see that his son wore a similar look on his face. Most likely not for that same reasons, but the boy was worried about something.

The two women approached, smiling at their dates. The look in his wife\'s eyes had Lucius wishing he could run right then and there. Narcissa was as ruthless as he was, if not more so. And her sudden interest in Draco\'s newest fling was disturbing. He gave his wife one of his more practiced smiles, watching from the corner of his eye as Draco took Illiana into his arms and swept her out onto the dance floor. \'What are you up to, my dear?\'

\'Nothing, my beloved. Do not worry over it any more,\' she returned, smiling sweetly up at him. Which made him all the more determined to find out what had transpired between the two women. She turned to watch her son dance with Illiana, knowing by the look on the boy\'s face that he was in the middle of grilling his date for information about the talk she had had with his mother. And Illiana was merely smiling at him, not letting one single word of it leave her lips. Ah, to be young again.

~*~*~*~*~

The dinner party has lasted far longer than she had planned on, and when Illiana and Draco returned to the flat, she set about gathering things up in a rush. He watched her, wondering what had brought this on. When she had gathered some personal belongings together and stuffed them into a bag, he stepped in front of her. \'What are you doing?\'

\' I\'ve been invited up to Hogwarts to spend Christmas day. I was expected over two hours ago. I need to get going,\' she returned, swirling a travelling cloak about her shoulders.

\'And what about me? You hadn\'t planned on spending the holiday with me, had you? Is that it?\' he questioned, sounding angry and hurt. She smiled at him, shaking her head.

\'No, I\'ll be back tomorrow. Other than you, Kendra is about the only other friend I have here in England. I should like to spend some of the holiday with her,\' she told him, getting up on tip toes to kiss his cheek. He scowled at her when she looked at him again. She grinned and headed for the hearth. \' I\'ll be back. I swear.\'

She stepped into the hearth, taking a handful of floo powder as she went. When she called out her destination, he vaguely noted that she had been given a room in the dungeons. The green flames licked up over her, then she was gone. Draco stood there, staring at his now empty fireplace. ~You are a prat, Malfoy.~ his brain whispered at him.

\'Shut it,\' he grumbled, trying to ignore the sudden emptiness he felt in the room.

~She unknowingly gave you her destination. go and surprise her, you stupid git! Give her a Christmas to remember,~ his mind prodded. He thought it over a moment, realizing she had given him her destination. She would be in the dungeons. That would be rather a private place, as he knew most students were gone to their family homes for the holiday. He smiled, anticipating the idea of surprising her. He moved to his bedroom, taking a moment to slip out of his dress clothes. He put on some robes and his shoes and socks, then put his own cloak on. She was definitely in for a surprise.....

Illiana stepped from the bathroom, rubbing the towel over her wet hair. The room was not large, but it was filled with comfortable furniture and a private bath. She couldn\'t have asked for more. When she lifted the towel from her head, she was barely able to stifle the scream that rose to her lips. She frowned at Draco, wondering what he was doing there. He merely smirked, then tossed the cloak from his shoulders, not caring where it landed. His robes went next, leaving him standing there in shoes and socks. And nothing else.

\'Draco?\' she asked, her voice warming with desire. She stared at him, noting the way his cock was standing up, swollen and reddish purple with his need. He stepped over to her, pulling off the bathrobe she wore with his hand before settling her against his body. His erection pressed her belly, teasing her with the small thrusts his hips were making that rubbed the length against her soft flesh.

\'Happy Christmas,\' he murmured, a moment before his lips took hers. Then he was walking her toward the bed. She fell back onto the mattress, his body following hers down. She groaned as he slipped inside of her, filling her with quite a bit more than just Christmas cheer......

end chapter fourteen.
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many thanks to madam shark for all her help and input. she helps make it better.

to those who keep reading, it means alot to me. thanks bunches

to jeanette: thanks for the praise. i loved writing about Lucius stroking himself. i think i needed a spatula to get myself off the chair. and there are a couple more chapters..... here ya go, just for you!

to nori: thank you. i wouldn\'t know that i\'m a great author, but i do try. glad you\'re liking this. it has been a challenge, but i think it\'s come out well enough.

and please, as i always state, feel free to review. but lets not play roast the faerie here, folks. my pet dragon doesn\'t take kindly to it at all. he\'s rather a sensitive sort, and well.... the last time he got upset, we never did find the remains.....