Smile Like You Mean It

Chapter 3 - Daydreams and Dragons




The weekend came much quicker than Aera anticipated. It saw them lined up beside the fireplace with Mrs Weasley holding out a pot of Floo-Powder.

"My two brothers own a jokeshop in Diagon Alley, we get to go see them for the first time today." said Ron happily to Aera as they waited.

"She knows, you nitwit. You've told her at least a dozen times already. Stop being so bloody obvious." Ginny scorned him, taking a pinch of the green powder and stepping into the flames.

With her gone, Ron's face gradually lost the tinge of red, though he avoided looking at Aera for a while. She had found his manner amusing over the past week, he clearly found her pretty, but the experience of someone liking her that way was new. She'd always attended an all-girl's school and rarely visited other places unless with Madame Maxime. It posed an unusual situation for her.

She had followed Harry through the flames and found herself in a dingy little pub. The barman, hunched over the bar, eyed them eagerly. The only other customer was a huge mammoth man sitting on an overlarge stool. He had obviously been talking to the barman, but turned as the stream of people entering passed through the fireplace.

"Cor, looks like the Weasleys 'ave made it then. Blimey, is that-"

He stopped very suddenly, his eyes on Aera and she felt a twinge of sudden fear. There was recognition in those large eyes and danger loomed as his clumsiness threatened to reveal her. She saw Mr Weasley jerk his head sharply at the big hairy man, who grunted and coughed loudly. "Argh, is that ah, the girl Dumbledore took over te yes?"

"Yes, yes her name is Aera. She'll be going to Hogwarts in the Autumn. You're here as protection from him then? Excellent, we'll be getting on then." Mr Weasley moved past the man and out the back door.

The barman's bottom lip was stuck out in a distinctly sulky look as he watched them leave. Curious that the rest of the place was empty, really.
They entered a crowded little yard out the back and she watched as Mr Weasley tapped one of the bricks on the wall. An archway shimmered into view as the bricks twisted away and she was greeted with a very interesting sight indeed.

The street before was milling with people, though quite a few of the shops lining the street were closed and boarded up. By the surprised look on her brother's face, that wasn't meant to be. Mr Weasley and the tall man were frowning too.

"Right, Hagrid, will you take the two boys, Hermione and Aera down to Madam Malkins for robes? I'll go with Ginny and Molly to the bookshop and pick up supplies. We'll meet in half an hour and go down to Fred and George then."

"Oh, Arthur, is that a good idea? Splitting up?"

"They'll be fine, Molly. Hagrid can look after them. And no wandering off, you lot!" That last was directed at the three teenagers who attempted to adopt looks of innocent indignation. Aera couldn't stop the bemused grin slanting across her features. It was such a woefully bad pretence.

They went their separate ways, with Ginny scowling back at the four of them with jealousy while her mother held a firm grip on her elbow, steering her down the street. Once outside the dressmakers, Hagrid turned to them. "Righ', I'll wait out here for ye. Don't be too long."

Harry nodded and led the way inside. They were not the only customers, it appeared that a blonde haired young man was being sized up, accompanied by his pretty, but sour-looking mother. He caught sight of them first, glaring at Harry with utter contempt.

"Oh look, mother. The status of this place has just lowered considerably, a mudblood, blood-traitor and moron have just entered."

Rather than upbraid her son, the woman merely gave a sniff of disdain. The woman measuring the boy for robes, however, gave a gasp.
"Now, Mr Malfoy, I won't be having that sort of talk in my shop, please!"

Ignoring the distressed shoplady, the young man hopped down from the stool and swayed over to the four of them. He gave a sneer as his gaze passed over her brother and the other two. His features froze, however, as his eyes fell on Aera. Taking a step forward so that he was less than a foot from her face, his voice lowered. "Who are you?"

"She's a friend of ours, Malfoy. Now back off. Wouldn't want you joining daddy in Azkaban for harassing women, now would we?"

This elicited a snarl of anger from the blonde woman, who moved forward slightly, her hand twitching inside her robes. The dressmaker gave a little whimper, sensing the tension in the room thicken like molasses. "Oh please, no wands!"

Malfoy turned so that he was nose to nose with Harry. "You watch yourself, Potter. Careless words like that could get you killed." He stepped back, shrugging his shoulders in indifference. "But then, you're a little below my standing, really. I'd rather take on bigger trolls than you."

He swept back towards his mother and the shoplady who's eyes were squeezed shut. "Come mother, I believe Jasper and Ford's up the street caters to a slightly higher standard than here, they don't allow mudbloods for one thing."

The blonde lady lifted her chin an inch higher and followed as the young man led the way past the four out of the shop. As he passed Aera he paused. "You're in with the wrong crowd, there. They're not so angelic as they seem to be."

Aera frowned in confusion, but he had already disappeared out the door, mother in tow. The shoplady was breathing quickly with high-pitched whimpers. The other three were fuming.

"How dare he! If he ever calls her that filthy name again, I swear I'll..." Ron made a violent movement with his hands and Hermione sighed.

"Leave it, Ron. He's just trying to pretend to be his father. Words can't hurt."

Harry gave a rueful laugh, though his eyes were still fixed on the distant figures through the window as they walked up the street. "They can if you're a wizard and have a wand in your hand."

This sentence gave Aera quite a bit to think about as the remaining woman fitted her robes. Harry, it seemed was incapable of performing magic without a wand. This revelation nagged at her. Since an early age she'd had the ability to do spells of any manner without any aid, such as a wand. At Beauxbatons she had been given a wand to use in classes, but was tutored privately on the use of wandless magic. She knew it was very rare for a witch or wizard to be able to perform that kind of advanced magic, Dumbledore could, to a point. It was believed Voldemort had trained himself to do it also. But she had presumed that her twin brother had been born with the inbuilt ability, like herself. An interesting discovery, to be sure.

They travelled up the street to where a brightly lit shop flaunted itself to passer-bys. Here, Aera had to return her full attention to her surroundings, if only because they were so extreme. It was the Weasley Twin's joke-shop, with all sorts of insane magical tricks in the window display. They entered to find the place packed to the brim with youths, gleefully pouring money from their pockets as they invested in Invisibility Hats and other joke products.

"Heya Harry!" Two tall, red-haired men stepped up, giving her brother a playful nudge in the side, winking at Hermione who blushed and thumping Ron on the arm.

"We were wondering when you lot were going to turn up!" said one of them. "Mum and Dad are already here, Mum's snooping around to make sure nothing's illegal."

"Hey Fred, George." Harry nodded to each of them in turn. "This is Aera Vale. She's a friend of Bill's fiance and she's coming to Hogwarts with us in September."

Aera had been partily hidden from view by Hermione as she cast her eyes over a selection of love potions. As Aera's name was mentioned, however, she moved aside and the twins looked over.

"Whoah! Bit of a looker, aren't we? I'm Fred, utterly inflamed to make your acquaintance."

Aera found both her hands grasped and turned over as the boys kissed the back of them. "And I'm George. May I say I've never seen so beautifully dark and deep eyes? They inspire such rogue impulsion in me."

Aera couldn't help the grin that suffused her features as they stepped back again. Hermione was giggling and Ron had gone pink around the ears. She tried to think of a suitable response to such flowery and extravagant welcomings. She was gratefully saved having to reply by the arrival of Ginny.

"Hey George, Fred, this stuff is wicked! Think I'll get one of those Patented Daydream Charms. They looks brilliant."

"No. We're not selling that to our little sister. Besides, you're under sixteen, it says over sixteens only on the box." Ginny scowled at the pair of them and huffily turned her back. Aera could still see the side of her and watched as her hand sneaked into the box and deftly snatched a little slip out and into her pocket. Catching Aera watching, Ginny gave her a mischievous wink.

"But you, Aera, can take as many as you like." George leaned a little closer and lowered his voice. "I came up with most of the daydreams... had to act them out myself in order to duplicate. Hope you find them... interesting." He gave her a cheeky smile and leaned back again. He didn't see Ron glaring at him from behind his back.

Curious, Aera moved over to the box as Ginny moved aside. The picture on the front was of a young man and girl on the deck of a pirate ship. The description underneath described a realistic daydream in which you felt physically involved in, that was nearly undetectable to those around you. Fascinated she pulled out one of the thin slips. She could feel something like dust moving between the folds of cardboard.

"Go on, free of charge 'cause you're so pretty. Be sure to give us a detailed review on it, will you?" Fred winked at her and picked up another one, pushing it into her hand. She gave him a smile back, unsure of how to react. He gave her one last smile before brushing past her to return to the others. She stuffed the two into her pocket and joined them.

"So Harry, feel a little better than last year? Seeing as now everyone knows you're telling the truth rather than a big fat liar."

Harry shrugged, but Aera caught a look of grief cross his features. It was gone instantly, but she felt a pang of remorse for her twin. So far she had managed to avoid thinking about how distant they still were but realised that this deceiving meant he would be loath to confide in her. She swallowed hard.

"All right then, we need to get going." Mrs Weasley had come up behind them and was dragging her husband along. The others made a quick rush towards the counter, purchasing a number of items that Mrs Weasley looked sidelong at with a flicker of despair.

"Well then, goodbye, Fred, George. Be sure to write and I'll come visit again as soon as I can. You'll be back for Christmas of course, but I hope we'll see you before then."

They gradually moved towards the front of the shop, with Mr Weasley in the lead now. He was struggling under a pile of heavy looking books and Harry and Ron moved forward to help him. Ginny was casually strolling quite close to the shelves and her hands were disappearing swiftly inside her robes at intervals but no one other than Aera appeared to have noticed. As they reached the doorway and piled onto the street a hand caught Aera's and she was pulled up short. A voice murmured in her ear.

"By the way, you really are most delicious looking. I shall have to get to know you better when we meet at Christmas, if not sooner."

The presence moved away, as did the voice of George and the hand let go, leaving yet another sachet of Patented Daydream Charm in her grasp. She looked down at in and grinned. The picture on the front had been modified to contain a red-haired, tall young man, very similar to both the twins. The girl was tall and shapely, looking at him intensely with dark brown eyes. It looked like he even got the shade of her hair right.


They made it back to the Burrow by nightfall, to Mrs Weasley's relief. She bustled them off to bed after a quick dinner. The train to Hogwarts would be leaving the day after the next and she was determined they would be up early and begin washing, packing and tidying. After experiencing the boys for a week already Aera knew that would be highly unlikely.

She was sharing a room with Hermione and Ginny,the largest in the house as it had been modified to fit three beds. The mattresses were cushy and soft, feeling old but comfy. The long day had definitely had an effect. There was little talk before the light was switched off and Aera lay staring up into the darkness.

She hadn't slept well since being told the news that she was leaving Beauxbatons. The worries that someone would discover her secret, that she was going to a new school, that she had no idea what sort of path was ahead of her now, they had built up in her head and every time she lay her head down at night they would swarm around, demanding attention.

Tonight was no different. As Hermione and Ginny's soft slow breathing filled the still night, she glared at the woodwork of the ceiling. Her mind refused to relax and switch off, to think of anything other than what was going to happen.

She sighed and moved her hands up to cross under her head. As they slipped under the pillow her fingers brushed against something papery. Pulling it out she sat up and squinted in the darkness. The swollen moon was just enough for her to make out the image on the front. It was the Patented Daydream Charm from the Weasley joke-shop.

She stared at it, feeling curiosity bubble up. Well, it made sense that if anything were to distract her mind from reality it would be something like this. And it's not like they would want to sell her anything dangerous or nasty, would they? They'd been nice enough, in her opinion, if a little sleazy.

She ripped the top off quietly, making sure she wouldn't make a noise. The instructions she'd read earlier had stated that a wand was necessary to begin the incantation, but that wasn't so for her. She poured the dust into her hand. It shimmered slightly and she eyed it warily before lying down. It was probably best to try this one out in a reclined position, first of all. She lifted her palm above her face and flicked it upwards so it billowed about her. As the tiny specks of dust descended around her she spoke the spell in her mind.


Sahasrara!

Aera was standing on a balcony. The breeze was slightly chilled and made the hem of her long dress shift around her ankles. It occurred to her how real the setting was. She could make out the distant mountains and the stone under her fingers as she grasped the balcony edge was rough and cold to the touch. She looked down at herself and smiled slowly.

The dress was a dark purple that verged on being black, with a plunging neckline and there was a black onyx stone nestled between her breasts. The dress flowed over her skin, the purest of silk. It hugged her curves, caressing them. She gently lifted one edge to see a pair black boots. It was all very gothic and mysterious. The wind picked up force and her loose hair whipped around her face.

Sudden footsteps behind her made her turn. George was approaching, dressed smartly in a pair of tight black trousers and a loose white shirt. He strode up to her and placed a hand on either side of her waist, trapping her.

"So what do you think? Impressive magic?"

Aera swallowed before answering. She was aware that the magic was in tune with her own thought patterns while still retaining an element of George's input.
"Yes, though it could be a little warmer."

George's grin widened. "Oh, but that would ruin the entire effect." He jerked his head downwards and she followed his gaze. Her nipples had reacted to the coolness of the air and were standing out tight against the flimsy material. Gasping with embarrassment she wrapped her arms quickly around her, hiding the traitorous nipples from view. George's grin widened.

"Ah, Aera. So innocent. I can teach you so much..." His voice trailed off as he moved forward and brushed his lips against her neck. One hand traced the outline of her hip and she felt her breath catch.

But it was all wrong. The idea was right, the darkness, the seduction, the coolness of the wind and her entire attire. But something significant was very wrong. She gazed over the carpet of red hair as George licked her collar-bone gently. To be honest with herself, the idea of George doing this to her was a little more than her imagination could handle. She pictured a much more different setting for that, and she couldn't see him trying to seduce her in such a way. It was a bit peculiar.

Her attention came back suddenly to the man in front of her as he stepped back. She gave a loud exclamation of surprise at the figure in front of her.

It was no longer George with his proud head of red hair. Instead the image of the boy that had so rudely insulted Hermione and the others in the robe-fitters was standing sedately before her. She waited as his eyes roamed freely over her form, unsure of what was going on.

"And will you tell me your name now? Seeing as Scarface and his entourage are no longer here to interfere."

It must have been subconscious thoughts bringing up the memory of him from earlier that day. Of course, he fit much better into this setting. He was wearing the tight trousers and shirt that George had previously filled and they fitted his form perfectly. She took a moment to subtly take in his physique as she answered.

"My name's Aera. And I'll thank you not to speak of my friends like that."

He was well built, half a head taller than her, with a full frame. There was nothing extra to him, the muscles on his legs were toned and shaped, he looked like a broomstick rider. The unbuttoned neck of his shirt showed of a glimpse of hairless chest and his blonde hair was slightly wavy. Even his face held the memory of a Greek god, full of slanting angles and softness.

He smirked at her reply and moved forward, letting his hands resume the spots that George had so recently occupied. "That's a haughty little tone. And do you have claws to match the bite in your words?"

He caught her wrist as she came up with her nails out. She'd been aiming for his cheek, but he'd stopped her inches away from it. He twisted the hand so that the palm faced upwards and turned his head to kiss the skin softly, his eyes never leaving hers.
Determined to remain in some form of control, Aera snatched her hand back. She went to edge to the side but he whipped his hands back down to hold the balcony edge on either side of her. She swallowed a hiss of frustration.

"Ah, am I getting to you Aera?" he asked her softly, reading the irritation in her eyes. His voice was deep and velvety. "Does it make you nervous to have me kiss your skin so? Would it make you nervous for me to touch you... say, here?"

His hand brushed against the cloth at her hip and she flinched. It felt as if electricity was jumping from him to her when he touched her and she was finding it hard to remain unaffected. This was very different to the way her body had reacted to George.

"Yes, it seems it does. And what if I move it..." Aera felt a flush of heat between her thighs as he ran his hand up along her side and across until it rested by the underside of her breast. Her nipples strained against the material and she cursed them for being so bloody traitorous. But she ached to have them rubbed, to relieve the tension that was building around her. The wind snatched at her hair and she blinked through the strands.

Suddenly she was facing out over the balcony, with Draco behind her. Her heart was thundering in her chest as she felt his hot breath on the side of her neck.

"Can you feel it? The rush of heat around your body as it calls to be touched, as you ache to have my hands on you. I'm going to make you say it, Aera. I'm going to make you beg me to touch you."

Hot hands encased her breasts and she leant back into him, fighting the urge to moan, her head tipped back at the pleasure of his thumbs brushing over her nipples. He nipped the side of her neck, sending more bolts of white heat downwards. His lips and tongue gently soothed the place where his teeth had marked her and she spun around.

"I'm not used to being pushed around, I'm afraid."

Draco grinned as she grabbed his shirt lapels and pulled his lips down to meet hers. A furious battle of tongues, teeth and lips ensued, meeting and leaving, his hands running in a frenzy across her breasts.

She pulled away suddenly and pushed past him as he recovered his breath, striding inside the arched doorway. The room inside was beautiful, with a fire sending angry red sparks up the chimney and a velvet-draped bed dominating the room. The place was warm, with candles flickering from the open door. She was aware of Draco following her and slowly, deliberately, shutting the door to the balcony. No escape that way anymore.

A finger snaked down her spine before the hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her roughly back against his body. It felt hard and muscular against her and she could feel a bulge against her hip.

"Feel what you do to me." He growled in her ear and she smirked. Twisting away from him she approached the bed before turning to face him. Very slowly she sat down and crossed her legs. The dress, she realised, had a slit up one side and as her legs moved the material flowed to either side, leaving a long slash of bare skin exposed.

Draco's eyes had followed the material's movement and let out a hiss of breath at the sight of the pale skin. He stalked forward until he was looking down at her, his bright blue eyes burning hot like cold fire. Without a word he pushed her back and held himself above her by his hands.

She swallowed nervously, this was a lot more real than she could have anticipated. He had his original smirk back in place now and she had the impression that he'd recovered himself. He lowered one hand and her eyes widened as it traced the line of bare skin higher and higher until it was at her thigh. Her muscles were tense as she waited for his next move. She wasn't sure if she wanted this. Of course, her body did. She could feel wetness between her legs and she was fighting the urge to rub them together in the hope of relieving some of the frustration. Her nipples were hard again and she could no longer blame the coolness of the air.

Draco appeared to change his mind and lifted his hand away. Aera gave a barely audible sound of relief, until he placed his hand at the bosom of her dress, hooking his fingers under the material. Before she could protest he had pulled sharply and the flimsy silk had ripped, exposing a good portion of her breast. He paused, unmoving, until Aera went to cover herself up with her hands. Then his quickly grasped hers, pushing them back down to her sides. He lowered his head, cupping one breast in a large hand, and wrapped his mouth around her nipple.

Her back arched as the feeling of heat encased her, sensations she wasn't used to were shooting through her as his teeth teased the soft skin, pulling at it gently, massaging the rest of her breast with his hand. His other hand was entertaining her other breast, rubbing his thumb rhythmically across her nipple. She groaned and felt him grin against her. But she didn't care, she was lost in the feeling of his touch. Her hands reached up, pulling the material of his shirt away from his chest and skimming over the smoothness of his skin. There wasn't any hair, as she had guessed, just the curves of muscles and surprising softness. Her hands moved lower, wanting to feel more of him, to see all of him.

A chuckle gave her pause and she opened her eyes to see him watching her. She fought down the urge to blush and met his gaze serenely. He never looked away as he calmly tore open her dress even further, so that it gradually exposed the length of her stomach. As he reached the edge of her knickers he stopped, her eyes waited for a hint of what was to come next. His smile widened and he used two hands to separate the material completely, leaving her naked except for her black silk knickers and boots.

His eyes raked over her body, drinking her in and she felt her breathing quicken under the heat of his gaze. Then his eyes were back to hers and his hands were skimming lower over her stomach, down across the thin cloth of the knickers. He rubbed through them at her clit, making her shudder. With a predatory smile he moved the knickers sideways and slipped one finger inside. She moaned aloud as it traced the line of her lips, teasing her evilly. He did this again, rubbing his thumb over the outside of the cloth and never quite getting past the lips to where the real heat and tension were waiting for release. After the third time Aera's fingers were digging into the velvet beneath her and her lips were bruised from her biting.

"Please..." she gasped, breasts heaving. She could feel the blonde above her grin in self-satisfaction. But her annoyance at giving in lasted seconds. A moment later his fingers had slipped past the barrier of her knickers and were engulfed in her warmth and wetness. Her back arched again, her breath quickening even more. With his thumb he began a slow rhythm over her clit, massaging it, causing little shooting bolts of electricity through her. With two other fingers he delved inside, curling them upwards so that it hit a particular spot that made her shiver with pleasure.

He quickened his pace, causing friction over her clit that was bordering on pain, moving his fingers faster and faster. Aera felt her body tense and knew it couldn't last much longer. She felt the pleasure surge between her legs, flowing into every part of her, and then it exploded, she cried out, gasping at the sensations, her hands clutching at the sheets under her, body feeling like it was being squeezed together and pulled apart at the same time.

After a while the feelings subsided and she relaxed to see Draco sitting up, tracing the line of her cheek as he looked into her eyes.
"Time to wake up, Aera."