Entwined

Their fourth year began unceremoniously and nothing changed between Draco
and Desdemona. She was still subject to his ridicule when they crossed paths although she grew more and more irritated with every sneer and snide remark he sent her way. Her situation was further complicated by Pansy Parkinson, who never seemed to leave Draco’s side. Everyone assumed they were dating, and rightly so because Draco had already asked her to the Yule Ball, which was only weeks away. Desdemona had refused offers from two boys already, not sure if she even wanted to attend the gala. Her mother had sent her a beautiful gown, although it was green, another hint from her mother, no doubt, that she should have been in Slytherin. However, Desdemona thought did not suit her complexion. If she did end up going, she planned to change the color.

The halls of Hogwarts castle were very chilly on that ordinary Saturday afternoon as she headed to Professor McGonagall’s for her regular tutoring session. Her attempts to improve over the summer had, unfortunately, been very unsuccessful, and to maintain a decent grade in the class she’d been forced to take extra lessons. As she strolled down the corridor she noticed Draco and Pansy approaching and sighed inwardly, predicting the onslaught of insults which would soon be cast her way.

“Oh, I just can’t wait for the ball,” cooed Pansy. “Can you?” Draco did not answer but as they approached Pansy directed her conversation towards Desdemona. “It’s a shame you’re not going. Too bad. I guess no one wants to take you, Enstwhile.”

“I’ve been asked by two people, thank you,” replied Desdemona curtly as the pair stopped walking in front of her.

“So choosey,” said Pansy and Draco smirked. “If you’re waiting to be asked by Draco, you’re too late. We’re already going together.”

Desdemona figured the stuck up bitch was asking for it. Before anyone could register her actions, she drew her wand and said, “Levi corpus.” And immediately Pansy was strung up by her feet, upside down beside Draco.

“Ooooh! How dare you! Get me down! DRACO! GET! ME! DOWN!” she squealed, struggling to hold her robes up.

Draco drew his own wand. “You’ve crossed the line, Enstwhile.”

“My name is Desdemona!”

Both raised their wands and at once sent curses flying through the air.

“Saeto retraxi!”

“Rideo!”

A burst of silver light burst forth from Draco’s wand, and met the stream of golden light that had flown from Desdemona’s wand. With a flash, the curses seemed to collide, exploding with a great force before entwining midair, stretching from the ground to the ceiling between them. Then, with a snap, they flew into each of their chests and the two were sent flying backwards.

“What is this?” questioned an infuriated Professor McGonagall who was now flying down the corridor. “Dueling the hallway? Completely unacceptable! Ten points from both Slytherin and Ravenclaw!” With a flick of her wand, Pansy collapsed on the ground with a loud thud and Desdemona had to fight back a malicious laugh. “I might have expected such from Mr. Malfoy, but I assumed better of you, Ms. Enstwhile.” Draco and Desdemona stood shakily and she muttered and insincere apology to the teacher. Both failed to noticed the chain of curses which seemed to float between them. “If that’s quite all, I assume that you are ready for our lesson?”

“Yes,” sighed Desdemona, waiting for Pansy’s retort that did not come as the girl was too preoccupied straightening her robes and regaining composure after being held upside down for almost a full minute.

“Off with the two of you now, back to you common rooms.”

Draco and Pansy obeyed without a word, walking down the corridor in the direction they were originally heading. Desdemona too began to walk with Professor McGonagall but immediately began to feel light headed. It worsened and things began to get blurry as she collapsed to the ground on all fours. She felt tired and weak, and fought to breath. Something was wrong. As everything began to go black, she screamed with what seemed like her final breath, “Draco!”

“Draco Malfoy! Come here!” screamed Professor McGonagall. He must have obeyed, for as he began to approach, Desdemona felt her world returning to normal. She rose to her feet, Draco now only a few feet away from her. It was then that Professor McGonagall noticed the chain of curses running between them. Hesitantly she said, “Desdemona, dear, if you will, could you please walk a few feet that way.” She pointed down the hall. “Draco, stay where you are.” Desdemona, confused, did what she was told and soon Draco seemed to be experiencing the same thing she had as he collapsed in front of the teacher. “Ok, that’s enough, Desdemona, come back.”

“What are you doing? Trying to kill me?” asked Draco angrily. Professor McGonagall ignored him but at that moment, Draco seemed to notice the oddity, and his eyes followed the line emanating from his chest to Desdemona’s and tried to swat it away. However, it only wavered slightly.

“Oh my! I think we ought to get the both of you to the infirmary.”

Upon arriving at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey examined the children and immediately sent for Dumbledore. Desdemona sat on a bed, next to Draco’s and wondered what exactly had happened. This was obviously something serious if Madam Pomfrey had no cure. Her thoughts were interrupted by Draco. “This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn’t used that stupid curse –“

“It’s not my fault,” she argued sternly. She was furious he chose to blame this on her. “Besides, you used that stupid hair pulling jinx.”

“Well if you hadn’t cursed Pansy-“

“Well, if you weren’t such a twat-“

Their sling of insults was interrupted as Dumbledore entered the hospital wing accompanied by Madam Pomfrey. They were speaking in hushed tones between themselves and Desdemona began to feel nervous. She did not know what this mysterious bond that had formed between her and Draco meant. And she was scared that she was also going to face harsh consequences for their actions. The only detention Desdemona ever got was during her third year when she handed in a potions essay two weeks after the due date. Her punishment had been to clean and reorganize Professor Snape’s store room, and she was not keen to repeat any sort of punishment like that. On the other hand, Draco seemed to be unconcerned with the whole matter as he lounged on his own hospital bed. Of course, any trouble he might encounter would surely be wiped away with another generous donation from the Malfoy fortune.

The fear in her face must have been evident because as Dumbledore stood between their two beds he said, “No worries, Ms. Enstwhile. I believe Professor McGonagall has already dealt with reprimanding the two of you for dueling.” He sent them both a stern look. “I am here to sort out this little predicament you seem to be in. Binded together? This is very curious. And, I must say, unheard of beyond the realm of magical theory. Very rare, indeed.” He examined the wispy silver and gold strands that coiled together and rested within each of them. “Hmmm...”

Desdemona could tell Draco was losing patience as he rolled his eyes and sat up. “Well, can’t you just unjix us and send us on our way?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Draco. You and your friend have somehow managed to, well, bind your souls together. Which would not be dangerous, except that they’re binded in a physical way. Professor McGonagall filled me in on the situation, and it seems to be that if the two of you are to far away from each other you…” he paused, looking hesitantly at each of them. “...you die.”

“What? You’re telling me that we’re going to have to follow each other around to stay alive? That’s impossible. That’s ludicrous!” said Draco, suddenly realizing the severity of their quandary.

Dumbledore shook his head. “That’d be quite inconvenient for both of you. And I think I may have a way to fix this, but first you should understand how this happened. See, certain souls are destined for each other. Soul mates, if you will. And, during times of turmoil when the two souls are close, they may resort to a way to make sure that they are never separated. It seems they sense some sort of trouble between the two of you, and so they have apparently found a way to glue themselves together. This is not ordinary magic. It’s a very old type of magic and not easily undone. It seems that if the souls are too far apart, it takes a toll on both of you in a physical way. Draco, had you continued walking down that hall, I fear Desdemona would have died. And vice versa.”

There was a somber quiet between the trio as they digested this. “But, you can undo it? Right?” questioned Desdemona.

Dumbledore shook his head. “Magic like this can not be undone. However, I believe that there is a way for both you to function normally without having to live within a few feet of each other.”

“How do you do that then?” asked Draco, finally speaking although his voice was nervously shaken.

“Very good question, Mr. Malfoy,” nodded Dumbledore. “First, I’ll need something that each of you value. Ms. Enstwhile, those earrings you’re always wearing-“

“But I’ve had these since I was born! I always wear them...they...”

“I assure you, they will not be harmed. And Draco, that ring will do nicely.”

“No! I can’t. It’s a family heirloom. It’s been in the Malfoy family for two hundred years and passed between generations, I can’t…”

Dumbledore grew stern, “The ring and the earrings, please.”

Sighing, Desdemona removed the diamond encrusted hoops from her ears. Likewise, Draco slid the ring from his finger and handed it over to the headmaster. Silently and solemnly, Dumbledore drew his wand and levitated the two objects next to the wispy line of gold and silver that stretched between the two children. There was an eerie silence in the room and Desdemona knew he must be concentrating very had. She briefly wondered if this was going to hurt, but was distracted by Dumbledore’s movement. He seemed to be lifting the curse up and away from the two of them, it was the golden part of the chain, the part that she had cast. The curse swirled tightly around his wand and he lowered to the earrings where it seemed to seep into the metal and for a moment, the diamonds flashed a bright gold. Next, he did the same to the silver strand, Draco’s curse, and lowered it to the emerald ring. It was an emerald stone set into a band of intertwined snakes. As the curse disappeared into it, the jewel gave a silver ripple.

At that, Dumbledore sighed, what Desdemona took to be a show of relief. It had not occurred to her that he might not have been confident in his abilities to fix this. With a wave of this wand, both pieces of jewelry were attached to their own silver chain. He took the ring, now floating on the chain, and handed it to Desdemona, gesturing for her to put the piece on. He did likewise with the piece that was meant for Draco.

The air had grown tense in the past few minutes, yet Desdemona was still confused as to why she was wearing Draco’s ring around her neck, the one that contained his curse. Dumbledore was not finished with his explanation though and so explained, “In order for you both to live, you must keep a part of each other with you. Those pieces are contained in the objects you provided me with. And, since they are objects that are dear to you both, a suspect that will only strengthen what I’ve done. I’d advise you both to keep these things with you at all times. I’m afraid there might be drastic consequences if you don’t.”

“Wait, so you’re saying that I have to wear this forever?” asked Draco, looking quite gloomy and a little paler than normal.

“Well, no. I believe there will be two paths. Either your souls will grow apart and you will no longer be joined together. Or, you will find another way to bond your souls.” Desdemona sent him a confused look. “You’ll get married,” he said. There was an awkward quiet in the room and Dumbledore stood. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” he said, making a graceful exit.

There was a pregnant silence between them. Desdemona did not speak, and instead waited for what Draco would say, unsure of what he was thinking. Finally he said, “I don’t believe in soul mates.”

Desdemona snorted. “Of course not. You don’t have a soul.”

Draco did not answer but simply rose from his bed and strode out of the hospital wing, refusing to look at Desdemona. The two did not speak for exactly ten days. Not that Desdemona had been counting the days per say, but everyone was counting down to the Yule Ball which was now just four days away. It was a dull night and she sat in the far corners of the library, pretending to read her transfiguration textbook. In reality she was staring blankly at the words on the page and her mind was miles away. This is no doubt how he was able to sneak up so closely behind her that when he finally spoke, it made Desdemona jump. “Still behind with McGonagall?” he asked, pulling a random book off the shelf and flipping through the pages, not looking at her.

Desdemona stiffened in her seat and actually tried to read the book without getting distracted. “None of you business,” she said quietly.

“You’re right. That’s not why I’m here,” he said, snapping his book shut so that Desdemona looked up. “I hear you still don’t have a date to the Yule Ball.”

So this is what he came to tease her about this time. She tried to look brave and not coward away while she waited for his onslaught of harsh criticisms. “That’s none of your business either.”

“Well, it would be if I was asking you to go with me.”

Desdemona was thrown off guard but quickly regained her cool demeanor. “But you aren’t. Because you’re already going with –“

Draco held up his hand. “I’ve already told Pansy that I no longer wish for her to accompany me,” he said. Desdemona folded her arms and turned back around in her seat, having nothing to say to this. Draco sighed and moved so he could lean against the table where she sat and look at her. “Dessi?” She quickly let her eyes glance into his. He hadn’t called her that since they were little kids. “Will you go with me?” His voice was different. It was no longer filled with contempt and pride, but soft and imploring. She didn’t answer him right away but looked down at her textbook, staring off into space at the words again. She was distracted a moment later though by Draco’s hand closing the book and forcing her to pay attention.

“Why? Why do you want to take me? You hate me.”

“Come on, I don’t hate you,” he sighed.

Desdemona sat gaping at the boy lounging on the desk in front of her. “You’ve done nothing but ridicule and tease me and call me names since we set foot into Hogwarts!” she said with a start.

“That’s not true!” Malfoy grinned, “We were friends during the sorting ceremony!” He gave a slight chuckle, but Desdemona was less than pleased at his sarcastic remark. She sat rigidly in her seat, arms crossed, and willing Draco to just walk away. “I bought you the snake,” he said quietly. Desdemona seemed to visibly soften with this statement.

She loved her snake. Orli, which she had named the reptile, got her through a lot of lonely summer days. She hated that she wasn’t allowed to bring the pet to school. Snakes were especially banned because they were considered a threat to other students’ pets. “They won’t let me bring her to school, you know,” Desdemona frowned.

“That’s rubbish,” said Draco with a frown. “I’ll sneak him in for you.”

“Thanks for offering,” she replied, “but I think she likes it better at home. I’ve given her a way to sneak out so she can hunt mice at night.”

At that moment a bell sounded and both knew they had to hurry to class but Draco still looked expectantly at his friend. “So the ball?”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, collecting her books and heading down to the dungeons for potions. On her way she wondered about Draco and why he suddenly wanted to take her to the ball. She figured it must be some sort of trick or a joke on her expense. Draco surely wasn’t asking from the goodness of his heart. She was almost at the classroom when she noticed a very angry little brunette stalking towards her.

“You! I’ll kill you!”

The two girls accompanying Pansy seemed to have been expecting this as they held her back by the arms. Pansy was livid and crying; her face was smeared with mascara that ran down away from her angry blood shot eyes. “Listen, I don’t know what you’ve done to him in some pathetic little attempt to steal him but it won’t work. Because he’s going to that ball with me. And right now he’s just delusional or under some sort of spell. Just because you’re dumb enough to magically tie him to you, doesn’t give you any right to go running off with my boyfriend. He’s mine!” Pansy, fueled by her own rant, now looked even more enraged as she tried to tug her arms free. She gave up and sent an utterly helpless look to her companions, but they did nothing.

“Finished then?” asked Desdemona, her spirits lifting. If Pansy was this torn up, obviously the joke was on her. Desdemona beamed. “I thought Draco was delusional too when he asked me to the ball,” she said, her voice dripping with false empathy.

“He’s already asked you?” said Pansy shocked. “He only broke up with me two hours ago! Two hours! You’re not going with him, are you?”

“Yes, I am,” Desdemona smiled sweetly. “Now excuse me, I’m going to be late for potions.”

Pansy’s screams echoed through the dungeons.