The eyes of Winter

Chapter 32...Blood on the Hands


She could not stay another minute. Her bathroom was splattered in red
from the weeping wounds on hece, ce, and she couldn\'t bear to see herself
again. She grabbed her jewelery box and ran. Leaving a trickle of blood here
and there as she rounded corners, flew up steps, and stepped through the
shadows. Winter\'s face was hot and stinging and the warm lines
kept coming, dripping the extra remnants on her beautiful ball gown.

She smashed into the plain brown door, sending it flying around on its
hinges. Making sure no one had followed she locked it with barely a
thought. Moving away from the mirrors she made her way to the circular
basin. Turning on the cold water and sticking her face in the icy stream
to sooth her inferno wounds. She reached for a monogramed towel on the
rack, it streaked red with the lingering blood.

Winter feel to her knees. Sobbing softly in her pain and humiliation. She
had never been broken like that before. Crushed at the feet of a man, bleeding
and crying like some child. Voldemort was strong, stronger than she had ever
thought he was. Her mind raced as she sat on the cold stone floor.

The symbol was clearer than anything. It had happened, she had seen it
emerge from her blood and tears.

\"Potter,\" she murmered out loud, \"But what about him?\"

\"Yes.\" A voice behind her whipped her head around to face it. \"What about
Potter?\"

Hermione stepped out of the small tiled shower at the back of Moaning
Myrtle\'s bathroom. Wrapped in a red Gryffindor robe, and a towel on her
head. Winter tried to turn back so that the girl could not see the train
wreck that was her face at the moment.

\"Nothing, nothing at all.\" Winter hung her head but Hermione was now
standing over her picking up a fresh towel, and getting it wet. Winter
was too numb to care now so she let her begin cleaning up the crusty
red mess.

\"By Merlin\'s robe! What happened to you?\" Hermione\'s compassion took
over where the dis-like of Winter tried to hold her back. Trying carefully
to wipe away the blood, but it was all over her once beautiful face. Smeared
and splashed from her forehead to her hands.

Winter\'s eyes glassed over in a milky haze. \"Nothing. Took out my peircings.\"
Her voice had taken a mechanical tone. Winter was moving towards the dark
place in her, the haven inside. Retreating into herself, shuttiown own the
emotional part of her.

\"He watched...couldn\'t stop it this time. Maybe never.\"

\"What are you bloody talking about?\" Hermione felt a slight tremble in her
as Winter just seemed to be fading in front of her. Seeming to go somewhere
else, but not moving from the stone floor. \"Winter? Are you alright? Can I do
anything?\"

\"Yes.\" Merely a small noise from her mouth. \"P-Put them back in. Have to b-be
filled once more.\" With a trembling hand she held up the soft black box to
Hermione. \"You do it. Help me, just once.\"

Hermione took the coffin box, and opened it. Small silver hoops, thick spikes,
tiny beads of all colors, barbells, a great tangle of jewelry. She knew enough
to understand Winter\'s plea. She had small nimble fingers, and unlike Winter\'s
hers weren\'t shaking. She had to help her. Winter had helped her out before.
It was because of her she was in here taking a shower at this hour anyway.
She wasn\'t used to the mess sex could make.

Hermione nodded, and went for her bag. \"I\'ll just get my wand.\"

\"No!\" Winter hissed from the floor. \"No magic!\"

\"Why? It\'s going to hurt pretty bad if you don\'t let me use my wand.\"

\"I said no! Fuck magic!\"

Hermione sank once again to her knees in front of Winter, and sighed.
\"OK have it your way, but you got to promise not to get mad...er more mad.\"

Winter\'s mechanical drone voice again. \"Just get started.\"

\"You tell me which one and where it goes. I\'ll try my best to do it right.\"
And with a almost steady hand Hermione picked up the largest hoop in the
box. Winter\'s septum ring.

\"Septum, nose, here.\" Winter pointed to the part between her nostrils.
Still crusted with blood.

\"Uhhh.\" Hermione stalled for a moment, took a deep breath , and brought
one hand to Winter\'s nose. The other with the ring. She tilted Winter\'s head
up, and looked for the presence of a hole. She found it seeping, a gaping dark
red slit of skin. She brought the ring to it, and felt Winter suck her breath in
deeply. Hermione did the same, and pushed the silver into the hole with a
sound like a big juicy bug being squashed. Followed by Winter\'s howl of pain
that echoed within the empty bathrooms walls.

\"Sorry.\" Hermione sqeeked. Flinching a little at the noise. Even Myrtle
cringed in the small space of her U bend.

\"Just keep going.\" Winter\'s voice was calming again as the first stinging
dulled down. \"It\'s not your fault. It\'s OK, it\'s only pain.\"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hurry....Got to run...Have to find....No...Not here. Where is she?

Frantic thoughts for Draco Malfoy as his heavy footsteps echoed
through the corridors. Running, searching, looking desperately for
Winter. Not in his wildest dreams would he have known his father
would come for him tonight. Demanding he use his private portkey to
return to Malfoy manor. He had found Draco in his room, changing
out of his dress robes, getting ready to go be with Winter for the night.

\"Return home boy.\" His father\'s face in the fire, smiling wickedly. \"Come
home at once. You have another set of robes to wear before the
dawn comes.\"

Draco just couldn\'t say no. He didn\'t need another reason to raise
the wrong eyebrows. It wasn\'t only his father that was interested in
his progress. He had wore the death-eater robes, not knowing what
was to come. A gruesome act of torture, for both him and Winter.

Voldemort had summoned her somehow through her sleep. Sprinkling
dark blue powder outside their circle and pouring a nasty liqiud that looked
like unicorn blood. It began to smoke softly at first then thicky formed a
body. A vapor at first then solid, molding in the air strangely. Draco felt
his knees buckle as he soon began to realize whose form it was taking.

Voldemort chuckling softly, \"Come to me, Karhem. That\'s it Earth
witch. Sleep.\"

She had stayed strong, not showing fear. Not one second did she
behave like any other that is summoned to Voldemort, but he had
touched her. (HE HAD TOUCHED HER!) The Dark Lord\'s icy hands, rough
like leather and holders of much power. Instruments of cruelty, that
had brought her to her knees. Bleeding the ground red under her bowed
head. Just the way Voldemort wanted her.

After Winter vanished, Voldemort had not look suprised by her leaving.
He looked around smiling, flashing his sharp teeth. \"Soon my dark children,
I will drain the Karhem. With her blood in my veins I will control the very
heavens. And all her power will me mine!\"

Sickening hours passed at Malfoy manor after they returned home. Trying
desperately to get away from here, to return to school. Find Winter. His
stomach lurched with the thought that she knew he was there. He had
seen everything. Now he only wanted to be by her side. Draco knew
Voldemort wouldn\'t kill her, he needed her, but it would never stop him
from hurting her. Until she gave in to him. Draco knew Winter would rather
die first then give in to a man, but tonight Voldemort had pushed her to
her limits. Even in all the pain she had not been broken.

Draco finally lied to his father telling him his Potions essay was due in
the afternoon. Ducking quickly into the study and using the silver medallion
with the Malfoy crest to get back to his room. He set the private portkey back
in the box above the mantel, and ran for the door.

Now here he was still running. Passing empty classrooms, dark hallways, two
Ravenclaw prefects, up and down stairs, breathlessly searching for any sign
of her. Stopping at the second floor corridor, looking quickly around, his eye
catching on a cluster of blood drops on the floor. He ran down the corridor,
right past the girls bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\"There. I think it\'s all done.\" Hermione stood up and began to wash the
blood from her hands and fingers. It had been nasty, but if she wanted to
be a great Medi-witch someday she would have to get used to it. Even this
had challenged her, but she broke through it like she always did.

\"Yes, I counted.\" Still in a half daze.

\"Are you sure you\'re alright? You come in here with blood all over your
face, and you seem calm about it.\" Hermione was slipping pajama pants
on under her robe, and seemed to be looking at Winter\'s attire.

\"Fine.\" Her face burned but every other part of her was numb, inside
and out. She just wanted it all to go away, everything. Just her and
Malfoy alone, gone from this place, far away from the Dark Lord and
his followers.

\"Uh here.\" Hermione was handing her a robe she had transfigured
into a green tank top, and a long hippie skirt. \"Don\'t go back out in
that. It has stains all over it. You may scare people. Well, even more
than you do usually.\"

Winter snickered softly as she rose from the cold floor, and caught
a glimpse of herself a second time. Her face was puffy around the wounds,
and glaring red. Probably infected. Most of the blood gonom hom her face,
but not her garment. Blotched red on the shoulders and a long red flow
down her torso. She looked like a stabbing victim.

\'So much for ever wearing this again,\' she thought weerily. Unzipping it
and throwing it to the floor. She slipped on the skirt, and roughly put a
knot in the loose tank, exposing her pale belly.

Running now on pure mechanics, no emotion. Buried in that secret
place inside us all. Where the remnants of pain reside, waiting for time
to take them away. Scattered with harsh words and bad memories, filled
with flashes of images that haunt you. All brought below to that place,
to fester and try to heal. Only to be overcome with new ones, overshadowing
the old. Everything bad Winter had ever felt was buried deep within her.
Threatening one day to come out, but she was strong and simply coult
t
take the pain of being weak.

Winter turned with a glassy look to Hermione who was getting ready
to return to her room. Filing her bag with her things, and looking at
Winter with a strange look. Both looking at each other and muttering
at the same time something that sounded like, \"Thanks.\"

\"For the book.\" Hermione finished.

\"For, yeah, you know.\" Winter picked up the gown, and held it up.

They left the bathroom together. Hermione turned right and Winter
turned left. Both of them returning to their respective houses and
rooms, but only one of them made it back as soon as they thought
they would.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Dear readers...hope your liking the new chapters....
if not, sorry...Portkeys can be used to get to and from the
castle...right? I know apperating can\'t be done...is it the
same thing?...if you can\'t use portkeys....shh don\'t tell on
Draco..hehe...shaolin