The eyes of Winter

Chapter 34...Quidditch Blues

Weeks had passed, the holidays were looming and another release
was iminate. Winter\'s physical wounds had healed quickly, but her
emotional scars still plagued her. Always on edge, eyes darting
back and forth, searching for some unknown attacker. She kept
Draco by her side, and when his Head-boy duties called she kept
D.J. or Ron close at hand. Which drove Draco crazy of course, but
he didn\'t argue...much.

Quidittch was in full bloom which ment her little trio were practicing
a lot of the time now. She hadn\'t went to a game yet. She longed to
see Draco play but refused to go alone. They all played, even Calub,
and when they were gone it left her empty and scared.

Winter knew she was being paranoid, but just couldn\'t help it. Draco
filled most of her nights with his sweet smell, and D.J. filled her mornings
with his relaxing company. They had found an ideal place to do thier Tai-Chi.

Ron on the other hand, was around, but tended to be a nt pnt partner.
They only spoke when they were alone. Maybe passing in an empty hall,
or meeting on the tower for cold late night chats.

Sometimes his little owl Pig would peck at her portrait door and fly in
to deliver small notes from Ron. Asking silly homework questions or things
of a more personal sort. Always wanting advice on his new found
relationship with Hermione. He was kind of lost, and turned to her
often with their small problems. Nothing major, but she helped when
she could. He would meet her at the Great Hall, and follow silently
behind keeping his distance till they reached the tower.

Winter had her suspicions that Hermione had told Harry and Ron
about that night in the girls\' bathroom. She of course didn\'t know
what had really happened but had probably told them what she had
seen. After that Harry had seemed at little more sympathitic to their
cause. He seemed to actually sense now that her and Draco really
were in trouble, and maybe so was he.

Harry was also a Quidditch player, and they had a hard time
finding time between the three of them to continue with their
Parselmouth. Draco had improved in the last month, far beyond
driven to learn. It was getting better, and when Winter touched
him while he was trying to speak it forced it from him like a tidal
wave. Snape\'s words had been true. She was a living core of magic,
and had found she could accelerate spells by placing her hands on
the wizard who was casting it. So many questions, and so little answers.
Left to try to figure it out, and cope with it alone.

Winter grew tired of all this, she was changed now. Brought down
somehow by all ofs. Ms. Most wizards would have given their left arm
for such a gift, but it only left her waiting in vain for the good parts
to come. She had led a hollowed existence for the last month. Doing
nothing but her studies and retreating to the comfort of her room.
Regardless of the dreamless sleep draft she took everynight, she
still only slept a few hours at a time.

Now here she sat alone again, softly humming to herself as she
polished her black combat boots. Making them shine softly in the
dim green lighting. She had just finished and put them down when
there was a knock at the unicorn portrait.

Winter made her way slowly to the door and called out, \"Who is it?\"

There was a small voice on the other side. \"It\'s me, Hermione.\"

Winter opened the door to see Hermione bundled up in her cold
weather robes and Gryffindor color scarf and gloves. Hermione
gave her a faint smile.

\"Uh, Hi Winter.\" She wasn\'t sure if she should really be
knocking on Winter\'s door. \"Ron and Harry said I should come
get you for the Quidditch match. Harry said you had to be
there when he beat...\", she paused for a moment thinking,
\"Whatever you call Draco for the non-benefit of society.\"
Hermione shrugged, \"He said you would know what it ment.
Said he wouldn\'t take no for an answer.\"

Winter smiled softly for the first time in a week. Harry had
remembered their first coversation in Potions. She had scolded
him for calling Malfoy her boyfriend. She looked at Hermione\'s
expectant face, and then back down her staircase into her empty
room.

\"Alright, come in a minute.\" Winter moved to the side to let
Hermione pass. She looked a little apprehensive, but came in
anyway.

Hermione reached the middle of the dimly lit room and looked
around with an interested gaze. Fixing her eyes on the enchanted
poster covered walls, giggling and staring at the strange figures
blowing kisses and posing at her.

Winter was searching through her barely used Hogwart\'s trunk,
looking for her cold weather wear. The late November day was
bound to be chilly. \"Merlin, I can\'t find anything in here. Where
is my scarf?\"

Hermione pulled out her wand and called, \"Accio scarf!\" One of
Winter\'s bottom drawers opened and the scarf came floating into
Hermione\'s outstretched hand. Handing it to the other girl with a
strange look. \"Why don\'t you like to use magic?\"

Winter took the scarf with a thoughtful smile. \"Would you like to
use your magic if it turned against you? Broke your body, took you
to the edge of your mind and back. Made you hunted among the
dark wizards?\" Hermione gulped. \"Don\'t tell me Harry hasn\'t told
you, because I know he has.\"

Winter had been mad at Harry\'s little indescretion. She knew
they all had something going, but wasn\'t sure what. Harry had told
Hermione and others she believed. But who all knew about it?
After all Winter had kept silent about the Parselmouth...so far.

\"Yes, I know about that, but the Dark Lord is an enemy to us all.
It dosen\'t matter who is pure and who is not now. All who oppose
the dark magic are in danger.\" Hermione sat down slowly on one of
the chairs by the fire. \"I see you in class Winter, you\'re not like the
rest of us.\" She sighed sadly. \" We attempt to correctly use the magic
that we call to our hand, but you deny the magic that is already in you.
And you also deny what you truly are.\"

Winter balked at her words. Did she really deny herself?
\"And just what am I...truly?\"

Hermione wrung her hands and lifted her head intently.
\"Your a Karhem witch, whether you hate the term or not. I\'ve
seen your power, you broke through magic that was to be
unbreakable.\" Hermione dropped her eyes again, not wanting
to see Winter\'s feirce gaze, and added quietly, \"You may be
the only one of us able to escape the evil and death that
Voldemort brings with him.\"

Winter had almost started yelling at the girl, but stopped in
mid-breath at her last words. \"Death,\" she whispered,
\"Whose death?\"

\"Voldemort has tried to kill Harry seven times, and has
always failed. And a few times he has come dangerously close.\"

\"Seven times? Holy shit. How come no one has ever
told me this?\"

Winter was beginning to feel even worse about this hiding
issue she had gone through recently. Seven times Harry had
escaped with his life, and Winter had only had one bloody incident.
She truly felt like a coward now.

\"It\'s a sad fact of Harry\'s life. He dosen\'t like to talk about it, so
we don\'t either. We just keep going in our effort to end the tyranny.\"

\"Who is we?\" Winter\'s eyes narrowed in suspision.

Winter\'s mouth went dry. She had not spent the last weeks
in vain. Her plan was vast, and it all must fall into place. Unity,
complete unity of all the houses. The students, the young, the
future genererations of who would later turn to the dark. Even
the ones who had not taken sides, the ones who lurked in the
background, they all must be brought into her plan. And she
knew somehow, someway, her and Potter must be joined. Harry
was the key to it all.

Hermione stammered, she had said too much, but it was too
late now. \"T-The DA...Dumbledore\'s Army. We meet to practice
our magic.\"

\"When?\" Winter was breathing hotly, \"I need to know....I want
to come see what you do. There are things I do not yet know,
and I in turn can help the others in ways you have no idea of. \"
Winter\'s eyes were intently glaring at Hermione. \"When, Hermione?\"

\"I-I-just can\'t let you in the DA! There are papers to sign,
p-people to alert.\"

Hermione squirmed to get out of her current situation. She really
couldn\'t tell if Winter was angry or not. She bore down on Hermione
with intensity, but was it dangerous? She didn\'t want to try her and
find out. Winter would just have to come to the next meeting.

\"Don\'t give me that bullshit. You tell me I deny my magic,
and then you deny me a place to use it. Typical Gryffindor.\"

Hermione huffed, \"Really? Fine then, Saturday nights at nine o\'clock,
after dinner and Quidditch practice for the night is done. In the Room
of Requirement, Harry will have to show you the way. It\'s a warded
door.\" Hermione stood ready to get the hell out of Winter\'s room.
She wasn\'t frightened of her but Winter defiantely made her uneasy.
\"Are you coming to the match?\"

\"Yeah, but go on without me. I\'ll manage without an escort.\" Winter
was putting on a black leather coat that was filled with different
colored patches and silver chains that clicked and clanked together
when she moved. \"Tell Harry I\'ll be there.\"

\"Alright.\" Hermione had to force herself not to flee up the steps,
but she held her cool, but just barely. Even the swinging door
behind her hitting the frame made her jump. Friend or foe? Hermione
still really couldn\'t tell.

******************************************************
Winter walked slowly to the Quidditch pitch. She had sat and
thought for awhile about what Hermione had said. She had been
right in a way. She didn\'t try to deny her magic, but it was not
really hers to control. She could learn and try, but right now it
was out of her hands.

How could she tell them that her wand was almost useless to
her now? Since Voldemort had touched her, made her bleed,
she felt changed. The loss of blood had weakened her, and as
her blood rejuvinated itself her body had used the power
around it to help heal.

She had felt it sink into her veins, surging to her wounds,
fillinr wir with something that pulsed with her heartbeat. It
had frightened her, but now it was almost welcome. Perhaps it
would all fall in place eventually.

Winter climbed the green Slytherin quidditch tower slowly,
stopping every once in a while to look behind. A nasty habit
she had picked up. All was silent behind her, and she could hear
the sceaming crowds above, making a racket as one of the
teams scored.

\"Ten points to Gryffindor! This game is close folks!\" Winter
heard Lee Jordan announcing over the loud rush of yelling.

She stepped out on the balcony, and darted behind the mass of
Slytherins and heading for the deserted top steps. Everyone was in
the first three rows enjoying the game and huddling together for
warmth. She sat in the back corner with the wall to her back for
wind protection, and began to search the skies.

He was never hard to find, with his shock of nearly white hair,
and his green quidditch robes. Hovering high in the air above the
pitch, watching Harry and looking around aimlessly. Searching with
his grey eyes like a hawk.

Draco hadn\'t seen her, she was hidden in the shadow of the
seating box, and she had wanted it that way. This game was
important and Winter didn\'t want to throw him. This was the first
game she had watched and wanted to see him the way he really was.

Draco took off suddenly, and Harry followed behind fast. Flying
side by side bumping and jarring each other as they passed the
Slytherin stands. They were rounding now and dipped harshly
toward the ground. Draco in a slight lead in front of Harry.

Then from the right a bludger, hit by Calub Flint, came pelting
through the air. Narrowly missing Harry after he was forced to turn
sharply to avoid it. Draco flew high once more, the snitch had darted
off, and was flying higher in the chilly air.

\"The score is tied as Slytherin and Gryffindor battle it out. It\'s
Kella with the quaffle, and over to Liu! Who throws and is nearly
saved by Weasley.\" Ron had almost blocked it. \"Get it together,
WEASLEY !\" Lee Jordan could never call a game down the middle.
Minerva eyeballed him sharply. \"Another ten points to Slytheri

Winter waited for the perfect time, watching just as intently
as Draco. She waited for the right moment, bided her time in
the corner. Looking at both seekers with much amusement.
This should be interesting.

Winter\'s patience paid off another fifteen minutes and fourty
points later. Her blonde angel had turned away from her and Harry
was right in her view. She could see the snitch now, it dropped and
bobbed thirty feet behind Malfoy as he searched the heavens for the
tiny gold ball. He would turn to see it any moment.

Winter hauled herself quickly to her feet and jumped down two
rows of seats, standing there out of nowhere, stiff except for
the slight movement of her left shoulder. Moving back and forth
in tiny quick movements, making the chain hanging there glare and
sparkle with what little rays of sunshine were present.

To Winter\'s delight her plan worked, Harry caught sight of the
reflection in the air and mistook it for the glimmer of the snitch.
Harry was flying towards her, not really seeing what it was until it
was too late. Draco had rounded, seen the real snitch and picked
it out of the air with no problem.

Winter smiled like she had never even known what she had done,
and waved at Harry as he flew overhead. Now slamming his fist on
his broomstick, angry at his foolish mistake. He glared down at Winter.
Surely it had been a fluke, she wouldn\'t have done it on purpose,
or would she? He simply didn\'t know.

Somewhere inside Winter knew she *should* feel bad, reg regardless
if she had never been a Karhem, she would have been a Slytherin. It
was in her blood to cheat, steal, and sometimes lie to survive. She
had lived that life of the streets, the inborn need to dominate, the will
to see another day by any means she could. It stayed with her always.

The Slytherin crowd erupted in cheers as Malfoy clenched his
long fingers around the snitch, and as Lee Jordan grudgingly
announced Slytherin\'s victory the team made their victory lap.
Winter stood smiling in satisfaction when Malfoy buzzed over her
head. The others kept going, but he veered around and dropped
sharply to grab her hand.

\"Your chariot, my lady.\" Draco lifted her behind him on his broom,
and she stood on the silver bars, gripping his shoulders for balance.
To Draco\'s great enjoyment Winter laughed when he took off. Zooming
through the chilly air, Winter\'s laughter like a sweet musicbox in his ears.
She hadn\'t laughed like this since before her run in with the Dark Lord.

Draco turned his head to yell back at her through the whirrling wind,
smirking wildly. \"I saw that, Winter!\" Draco laughed along with her,
joyous the woman he fell for wasn\'t gone after all. She had been
wounded but now was healed.

\'Thank you, Merlin.\' Draco praised as her wild laughing filled his
ears as they flew around the pitch. It was infectious, her smile,her
laugh. He couldn\'t help but do the same.

Winter felt like her shell had crumbled as she held on to Draco\'s
strong shoulders on the back of his broom. She moved her arms
around to hold him closer bent over him like some bikers old lady
on the back of a motorcycle. The wind whipped her hair out in a
long line of burgandy and white, and her smile refused to leave her
face. She felt almost free for the first time in a long time, and she
kissed Draco\'s cheek heavily leaving a darown own lip print. She had
only floated along slowly on Draco\'s broom once, but this was like
nothing else she had ever felt.

\"I love you, my dragon. Now make me fly!\" She yelled above
the sounds of the crowd and Draco took her higher leaving formation.

He flew her up high, and stopped to hover for a moment. Turning
to look back at one of his only joys. Winter VaShawn, his dark
angel...savisavior and his damnation.

Draco kissed her deeply, above all the noise, above everyone
else, away from prying eyes. Full of the happiness they had once
shared before the threat of the Dark fell on them. She kissed him
back, pressing her cold lips to his and shaking slightly.

She watched Draco\'s grey eyes when he pulled back. \"You had
me worried, you know.\"

\"A thousand apologies, my Lord. All is fair in love and quidditch.\"

She laughed again and brought her lips down on him once
more before he took them down to the ground. Setting her
down so she could hug DJ and Calub, but she kept giving him
small side glances. Not wanting to be too far away from him
right now.

Winter loved her dragon\'s gray eyes, but another pair of gray
eyes had been watching her. Caught up in the game, and right
afterwards Winter, Draco had not noticed his father sitting in the
staff and guest box next to Professor Snape.

Yes, that pair of grey eyes watched her more closely than her
lover\'s. Lucius Malfoy, in all his evil glory, was torn for the first
time in a decade. Was the girl a mudblood or a Karhem, both? How
should he feel about her kissing his son? What was Draco doing
with her anyway, she was a complete freak of nature! But why
did he look so blasted happy?

The boy had actually been smiling, like a normal person. Absolutely
scandalous. Malfoy\'s do not smile, they sneer or smirk. Draco was
not going to ruin a family reputation built up over hundreds of years
for a woman, or was he? This needed much thought before any
action was taken, but oh yes, it would be taken.


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Thank you for actually reading this fic, seems
almost everyone hates it, and thinks it\'s toooooo out there,
but i just don\'t care...even though it\'s getting kinda complicated
I will keep writing, if only for my Slytherin obsession and the
people who DO like it...please review
with questions and comments...thanks...Shaolin...more soon!

A/N...thanks for the new reviews..this story has more fans than
I ever thought...This is my fic, my baby, and I\'m glad their are
some new fans...please keep reviewing...new chapter in a
couple days...Shaolin