The eyes of Winter

Chapter 24...The night holds many things

From the second Draco heard his father\'s voice his blood had ran cold. Never would
he have thought Father would be joining them this evening. These times were normally reserved for his nightly games of cat and mouse. Lucius was always the cat, never the mouse. His prey was rarely spared, but always broken. Their minds snapping, along with their bones, like twigs in a dry forest. Taking much pleasure in their torment.

\"Draco! You keep me waiting longer with every visit. You are forgetting your
manners.\" His voice was smooth, a sort of mock sympathy. \"Is there something
troubling you, son? Surely you have something to tell me...to report.\" His lips curled
back into a small sneer.

\"No, father. Quidditch has kept me busy, and my studies, of course.\" Draco tried
not to look nervous, but he could feel the sweat becoming cold on his now clammy
skin.

\"Yes,\" Lucius drawled out slowly. \"Draco, someone has brought to my knowledge
a certain situation that transpired in one of your classes.\"

The younger Malfoy thought on it for a moment, not being able to think of anything
he had done, or not done recently. He continued to stare into the fire as his father\'s
head played within the flames. Awaiting an answer to his questioning gaze.

\"Is it true you let someone, the earth witch no doubt, jump a horse over you? Have
you completly lost your senses, boy?!!\" His fathers eyes were fuming, but grew to
be a narrow stare as he saw his one and only son smile at him. Lucius had always
been overprotective of his son, after all someone had to carry on the Malfoy traditions.
If Draco was dead, how could he ever live on through him?

\"Truly father, your informants grow old and lazy! They tell you nothing! Weeks have
passed since then. And yes, I did let a horse jump over me, but could you have expected me to move for a woman? Surely you have taught me better than that. What courses in my veins is pure, I yield to no mud-blood.\"

Draco silently prayed that his father would not mention the Karhem. Winter could hear
every word, and he probably was already in trouble. Saying the word mud-blood now
felt like a wasp in his mouth. Stinging where it had never before done. Anything to
get his father to shut-up and leave before all was known to her.

\"Listen to me! I\'ve kept you here in this vile place for seven years now. Only because
your mother insists, and I\'ll do anything to shut her up. I will not have you playing daredevil so close to your....well, introduction to *proper* society. If you want to walk the razors edge, make sure you do not fall. Are we clear?\"

\"Yes, Father.\" Draco\'s voice taking on the same numb, hollow tone. Mechanical
almost in the way it came out. No doubt having to be forced out a thousand times
over in the passage of his life.

\"Very well, Draco. I bid you goodnight. The night awaits, and don\'t forget about
our plans. You know of which I speak of.\" His eyes now sparkling wickedly. \"Yes, your
face tells all.\"

Lucius began to laugh almost wildly. His passion for inflicting pain, whether it was
physical or mental, extended to family, friends, and beyond. He faded away, as did the
sound of his laughter.

Draco heaved a sigh of relief after he was gone. It could have been alot worse.
Father could have ruined everything. His chest clutched at the thought of what
could of transpired here. All, all would have been lost. His stomach felt like someone
had punched him with the thought of what Dumbledore had told him. It was true,
it was all true. It sunk into him now, like a blast of artic wind had blown through
him into his bones. Dumbledore was right, down to the last lemondrop.

Winter was rustling around in his room now, he could hear her. He dared to
sneek a peek around the door frame. There she was on the side of the bed,
clothed now, and pulling on her striped stockings.

\"Leaving so soon?\" Draco tried not to think about what she had heard, but the
angry lines on her face let him know Winter had heard everything.

\"Yes, and you care why?\" She didn\'t even look at him as she jerked her boot
laces into place. \"This mud-blood has heard enough.\"

\"Please, Winter. It\'s not what you think.\"

\"OH, it\'s not you being a racist prick? Towards me, ME! How dare you!\" Her words
scathed across him. Winter was now standing, grabbing for her Slytherin robe. Her
pale blue eyes storming with fury, as she bore down on him.

\"No, it\'s not! I swear to you. If you could only understand!\" He tried futily to find
the words, but anymore would be too much information. He just couldn\'t tell her the
truth. He was in too deep to give it up now.

\"Try me, Malfoy! Just try to fucking squirm your way out of this.\" Winter was
getting ready to go. She had heard all that she neded to hear. He had lost his
respect for his mistress,and anything else she might of been to him. And for that
she could not forgive.

\"Please, no. Don\'t Winter.\" It was all he sputter out. She was leaving, turning
towards the door. A sight that was more than he could bear and he called to her,

\"Anything I said, I said it for love.\"

It was out of his mouth before he knew it, a desperate cry from his lips. Only it
seemed to fall on deaf ears. Winter only turned slowly, holding her emotion but
barely. The look of ice in her eyes,cold and hard. Seething with hurt, and anger.

\"No need to lie, Mr. Malfoy. We both know lies are unbecoming. Your feeble
attempts of breaking me have failed, most miserably!\"

She was gone with the slamming of the door, and with her went any hope Draco
held of their happiness together. He sunk to his knees as his own barrier broke
within, spilling his hot tears for the first time inside the castle walls.

****************************************

Winter in her fury stalked back to her room. It was only about nine o\'clock. Half
an hour before curfew. Too late for what she wanted to do, but now she really
didn\'t give a damn. She changed into her black riding pants, a warm shirt, and her
cloak to help shade her in the darkness. She needed solice, she needed the cool air,
and she wanted Onyx.

Grabbing her cigerettes, and pulling her hood up, Winter left. Snaking her way
down semi dark corridors that smelled of old potions, and slipping silently out the
great doors of the castle. Moving along the wall towards the stable. Briskly walking,
trying to stay in the shadows.

When she reached the stable doors she slid them open a crack so they would be
able to squeeze through. Listening as Onyx stirred in the darkness, Winter used her
wand to light a small lamp in the corner. She opened his door, and he walked out
looking at her through sleepy eyes.

\"I know it\'s late, but bear with me boy. I think we both need some fresh
air.\"

Winter pulled the bridle on Onyx, and pulled herself up unto his back. Savoring the
feeling of the braided leather reins once more. Pulling her hood down more, and
setting her cloak across the horses rump, they took off. Breaking through the night,
alive once more in the nocturnal bliss that surrounded them. The crisp fall air, the crunching leaves, all spoke to her in their own ways. Whispering on the night air
as she passed.

They trotted briskly through the shadow of the forest, heading for her favorite
tree. The old evergreen that you could see the sky through it\'s branches. It was
where she had first seen Quidditch. That was the day he had called her Mistress,
and burned her forever with his kiss. It seemed so long ago now. That day Draco had called her Mistress, later Winter, and then today he had called her Mud-blood. This
was so wrong!!!

Winter didn\'t want to think about him now. The night called to her in its glory,
and now it was what she wanted. She decided the tree held too many memories,
and to stay away would help to settle her broken emotions. So she turned right
instead of left, following the shadow of the barrier walls. Onyx huffing hot bursts
as his breath could be seen on the cold air.

At the end of the wall she could see four long buildings, the stars reflecting
off them due to the clear skies. They were glass.

\' Ah \', she thought, \' those must be the greenhouses.\'

Winter lit a Marlboro Light as they got closer. Onyxs\' hoofs making the dry
leaves crack beneath them. She could see in as they moved closer to the
clear walls. Numerous plants and vines grew everywhere. Some even moved
when they sensed her, being drawn to her earth magic. Straining their vines
to be nearer as she passed by.

Winter let Onyx walk to the back of the greenhouses just to see what was
there. The only thing she could find was a glorious view of the celestial heavens.
Due to the way the ground sloped you were at an upward angle. Perfect for viewing
the night sky. It calmed her to be a part of it as she watched. After exhaling a large
cloud of smoke Winter sighed.

He had gotten to her. As much as she hated the fact it was true. Winter knew she
would feel more later. Laying alone in her bed. All the time left in the world to wrestle
with her feelings. Only now she simply wanted to be numb, just for a little while longer.
Winter hung her head beneath her hood, feeling nothing but despair.

A sudden flame on her left made her jump, but the tiny flicker of light reveiled
it to be Professor Dumbledore. Sitting at a small cafe table with his pipe and hot
tea in front of him. Smiling at her as she tried to hide her cigerette, but it was
useless.

\"Nice night for a ride, my dear. Is it not?\"

\"Yes, sir. The night is beautiful. If only we could be like the night.\" Her voice was
heavy, and laced with pain. \"Dark, silent, full of life. The night holds much within
it\'s grasps, but we...we hold nothing sacred.\"

Dumbledore searched her face, trying to see beneath her hood. Something bad
had happened, he could always tell. Years of experience led him to know these
things, but Winter was a little different.

\"Would you like a light, Miss VaShawn?\" His heavy robes reveiling a hand
extending his lighter to her now fumbling hand. He had caught her off guard,
and now she hurried to find a cigerette. Her other one had been flicked away
in her feeble attempt to hide it.

\"A funny thing about smoking.\" Dumbledore chuckled to himself. \"The people who
you most think don\'t, usually do. I myself, have to sneek because Minerva keeps
threatening to skin me alive. She just dosen\'t understand. I\'m an old man, I\'m going
to enjoy what I have left. Even if I do have to sneek.\"

Winter smiled as she pulled her hood back. Watching the cloud of smoke waft on
the breeze. \"You said it, Professor.\"

He smiled and continued, \"I\'ll make a deal with you. You don\'t tell on me, and I won\'t
tell on you. Agreed?\"

\"Sounds fair, sir.\" She looked down on him, and whispered fakely. \"Try the Astronomy
tower.\"

He took a sip of tea, and shrugged. \"I used to try that, but always had students coming
up to snog all the time. Could never get a moments peace. \" He motioned her to come
down and have a seat at the empty chair next to him.

She dismounted and hooked Onyx on a empty torch holder on the wall next to
the nearest greenhouse. She sat next to Dumbledore, and he poured her a cup of
tea with a flick of his wand.

\"Here this will make you feel better. You are troubled tonight. You hide much from
this world, and yours for that matter, but tonight you are open like a book. Trust
me child, I read alot.\"

The tea warmed her, and his voice soothed her a little. Who else could she talk to? She
wasn\'t even positive that DJ would understand. He had proven he was not into anything
Draco had to offer, besides Quidditch. She flicked the ashes from her cigerette, and brought her eyes to meet the only one who might be able to help her now.

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