Murky Waters

i\'m only borrowing draco and snape and some of the others for the time being. we all know that the only one who gets money off them is jk rowling.

i will issue the raunch/cameo alert. they\'re bound to pop up in here somewhere!

please read and review. i have such a pathetic life, the reviews make me that happy.....

Chapter Four: Dancing Is A Contact Sport
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\'Get up and get dressed,\' Draco ordered curtly, slipping into his trousers.

\'Why ever for?\' Illiana asked, not yet moving.

\'Because we\'re going to my place,\' he replied, now slipping his shirt on. She shrugged and slipped from the bed, then reached for her robes. \'And you can skip the under clothes. You\'ll not be needing them. I don\'t intend to let you get dressed at all.\'

\'But, Draco,\' she stopped and stared at him. She had the matching velvet dress pulled halfway back into place. He turned his silvery gaze on her, an eye brow arching in question. \'We have to go back to the Great Hall. We need to be present for the Closing Ceremonies.\'

\'What ever the hell for?\' he growled, his mind certainly on far more pleasant past times than waiting for some stupid awards to be presented. He gave her a good glare, then returned to slipping back into his dress clothes. He\'d not wanted to come to the Expo in the first place, but Potter had taunted him shamelessly until he had relented. Now he was glad he was there, but he no longer wished to stay. When he had his shirt buttoned and tucked back into the low waist of his trousers, he crossed his arms and looked over at her. She was straightening her robes into place.

\'Because we should be there, you twit. We did participate in the games, and they\'re handing out awards for the best Seeker and Beater and the like. We need to be there,\' she returned in a reasonable tone. He glared at her, then reached for his waist coat.

\'Then you can bloody well go without me. I\'d rather spend time with one of Hagrid\'s Blast-Ended Skrewt\'s than hang with that lot of stiffs,\' he snarled. His amorous mood was fast becoming a sour one. She strolled over to him, slowly running one hand from his cheek down over his chest. It ended up resting over his half hardened cock. She gave it a squeeze and smiled up at him.

\'But I want you to come along with me,\' she whispered suggestively. His eye brow shot up again, and he found he was lacking words of any kind to reply with. She leaned forward to kiss him, her tongue licking along the seam of his lips. He opened his mouth over hers and took possession. His hands wrapped around her arms, dragging her against him forcefully. The contact between their bodies brought his erection surging back to it\'s full, impressive proportions. \'Am I not worth a short wait? This will give you time to gather your second wind. Based on the lack of strength I saw during your attempt at being a Beater, you\'ll need it. And later, when we\'re alone, I\'ll allow you to do as you wish with me.\'

\'Anything?\' he questioned, his mind racing. He would ignore the taunt for the moment, though it certainly made his blood boil to think she saw him as a weakling. He would make her pay for it later. He thought of some of his finer wares in the shop and could well imagine using them with the beauty before him. There was most assuredly one there that would teach her never to insult a Malfoy. His lips curled up into a smile.

\'Anything you can dream up. Anything your stamina will allow,\' she assured him with a nod. He picked up his robes and slipped into them, then leaned down to give her a scorching kiss that left her no doubts as to what his answer was. She grinned up at him, then motioned for the door. He smirked and muttered the counter charm. The solid wooden panel swung open and he used her same motion to let her know she could exit first.

~*~*~*~*~

The party was in full swing when the two of them entered. And got promptly separated. Draco swore under his breath when he turned and didn\'t see the silvery head he was looking for. Instead, shining coal black hair with matching eyes were there. He groaned and crossed his arms over his chest yet again, staring at Snape with dislike. \'What do you want?\' he sneered at the other man.

\'Show some respect to your betters, Malfoy, you sodding little prat!\' Severus snarled in his usual manner. It seemed the Potions Master was out of sorts. Draco smiled and looked around for a moment.

\'Where\'s your little whore, Professor? Off finding someone else?\' Draco asked sweetly, hoping the barb would hit it\'s spot. Snape\'s expression never changed. Not even a discernable tightening of his lips. Draco sighed. \'Out with it. I have plans for the evening.\'

\'So I\'ve noticed. Don\'t worry, I won\'t keep you from your.......friend,\' he drawled out the last bit of the sentence, making it sound as if he were questioning the accuracy of his own statement.

\'Don\'t tell me you want Illiana as part of your little harem, too? Are there any other women here tonight you wish for me to avoid? What does Miss MacLeod think, sharing you with so many of the most eligible witches?\' Draco sighed as he spoke. He was not prepared when Snape stepped up so they were practically nose to nose. The look on the Potions Master\'s face was frightening with it\'s intensity.

\'I\'ll thank you to not insult Kendra in my presence. You wouldn\'t like the consequences. And as for the harem, I believe that would belong to you and that miserable excuse for humanity that spawned you. As far as I\'m concerned, Kendra is the only woman I want or need!\' he spoke in his lowest voice, so Draco had to pay attention.

A strangled noise came from behind Snape, and he glanced over his shoulder . Standing directly behind him was Ron Weasley. The young man\'s face was once again pale, his freckles standing out against his skin. He was holding a bottle of butter beer in one hand, a small amount taken from it. That small amount he had drunk was running from the red head\'s nose. Snape sighed. \'I know just how you feel, Mr. Weasley.\'

\'And I\'ll thank you to keep your insults about my family to yourself. My father is a better man than you could ever be!\' Draco snapped, hoping Snape would take offense. The insufferable bastard only quirked a brow.

\'I came to see you, to give you a warning about your little meeting of the minds in the dungeons. Keep in mind that this is a school and as such, you should have more respect and care.\'

\'Meaning?\'

\' If I happen to stumble across you in a most compromising position while on the grounds, you can rest assured that I will do my worst to ensure that it does not happen again,\' Snape spoke each word succinctly. The dark headed man waited a moment before continuing. \'Do I make myself clear, Mr. Malfoy?\'

\'Perfectly, Professor,\' Draco snarled. Snape stared at him a moment longer, then whirled about in a billow of his robes and stalked away. The blonde stared after him for a moment and decided that Kendra must have taken hold of his johnson and kept it with her for good measure. He vowed no woman would ever have that kind of control of him.

He turned his attention back to finding Illiana. He was intent on doing just what she had told him. Anything he wanted to....

~*~*~*~*~

Illiana looked up and found Draco had been swallowed by the crowd. She muttered a few choice curses under her breath and began searching the crowd for a familiar face. She soon laid eyes on a fiery red head, not all that far from her. She made her way over to where the other girl stood. Kendra smiled at her as she approached. \'Hello again, Illiana. I trust you\'re enjoying yourself?\' she querried, sipping from the glass of pumpkin juice in her hand.

\' I am, thank you. I thought I should warn you though,\' she grinned as she thought back to Draco\'s reaction to being bound hand and foot to the bed. \'Draco has it in his head that he needs to avenge himself on you.\'

\'Why would he want to do that?\' she looked genuinely confused.

\'Telling me that he liked dominant women. He apparently thinks he\'s the god\'s gift. As such, he is always the one in control,\' Illiana informed her. She was pleasantly surprised to see the other girl blush at her obvious lie. \'Although, the look in his eyes when he was bound to the bed was most comical. Now please tell me what he\'s really like.\'

\'Oh.....gods,\' the pregnant girl choked, then sprayed pumkin juice all over the two of them. When she could breathe again, her face was beet red, clashing terribly with her hair. \' I\'m so sorry. Let me take care of that,\' she whispered, still half coughing. She removed her wand from inside her robes and muttered a charm that cleared away her mess. \'By the goddess above, that bloody hurt!\'

\' I\'m sorry. I didn\'t mean to throw you for a loop,\' Illiana apologized as she watched the red head try to get control of herself. The coughing and choking finally subsided. \'Well, what is he like in bed?\'

\'Why would I know that?\' Kendra asked, her voice sounding very empty.

\'Well, I thought you might have heard something,\' Illiana thought she had reacted oddly to the question, but Kendra merely shrugged.

\'He\'s a Malfoy,\' she replied. When Illiana merely stared at her, she sighed and expounded on her previous statement. \'He\'s arrogant and conceited. He believes that the world owes him everything he wants. And he\'s always the one in control.\'

\'He\'s done something to you hasn\'t he? Something you think he should pay for?\' Illiana looked at the other girl hard for a few moments. Kendra didn\'t answer, but the scowl that crossed her face told what she wouldn\'t. \'Yes, I can see he has. Well, whatever it was, I think we can say that you have been avenged. I tied him down earlier and....\'

\'You don\'t need to say anymore,\' Kendra held up her hand to stop her words. \' I bloody well don\'t need details. I can barely get Severus to look at me for longer than five seconds these days. Telling me aboot yer experiences with Malfoy will only make me hornier than I am! And the sodding prat\'ll not even sleep with me. I think it\'s because I\'m getting too fat.\'

Illiana noticed with alarm that Kendra appeared to be on the verge of tears. She gave her a smile and tried to reassure her. \'You\'re not fat, Kendra. You\'re pregnant and you look beautiful. Surely you\'re mistaken about his feelings for you. I saw more than that in the way he fetched food for you. And the way he looks at you. It should be a crime. I realize that I don\'t know either one of you very well, but I do believe the good Professor has some rather deep feelings for you. It could, perhaps, be love.\'

\'I dinna think so,\' she said, and it took Illiana a few moments to work her words out. Her accent was getting thicker with her distress. She had to find some way to cheer the girl up, or she\'d have a sobbing, crying Scots woman on her hands.

\'You know, perhaps he\'s merely teasing you. I\'ll bet he\'s trying to just get you all worked up, then he\'ll find a way to soothe you properly when he thinks you\'ve suffered long enough,\' she insisted. Kendra sniffed and looked at her for a moment or two. Then she was dabbing at her eyes with her sleeves. The smile had not returned, but there was no longer any sign of impending tears.

\'Thank you, Illiana,\' she replied steadily, and nearly all trace of the brogue was gone. \' If you\'ll excuse me, I\'m going to find the loo. I need a break from the noise.\'

\'Of course,\' Illiana nodded and watched the other woman move off toward the door. She decided she needed to find Draco and keep him on a short leash. As she headed for the back of the Hall, she missed the blonde head near the door. In the direction Kendra was going....

~*~*~*~*~

\'Miss von Haifisch?\' the silky voice stopped Illiana in her tracks. She turned to find the dark Potions Master standing behind her. His face was closed, the emotions carefully locked away behind his black gaze. But he didn\'t seem to be upset. She smiled up at him.

\'Professor Snape! What a pleasant surprise. I was just speaking to Kendra about you,\' she replied. He grimaced, looking vaguely uncomfortable.

\' I can well imagine what the brat had to say about me,\' he intoned in a painfully dry voice. Illiana couldn\'t help but chuckle at him. He raised an eye brow at her in question.

\'She was a touch..... upset,\' she finally decided on the right word. He made a sound suspiciously like a snort. \'Alright, if you must know the truth, she thinks you want nothing to do with her anymore. She thinks you find her fat and repulsive. I think she was upset. She began speaking with a rather repulsive accent.\'

\'Oh, yes. Her brogue tends to pop up when she becomes excited in any manner. More recently with the advancing pregnancy. I think it has to do with the overwhelming amounts of hormones flooding her system. Frankly, she\'s on overload and I expect her to blow up any day now,\' he groaned as he spoke, as if he could clearly envision in his mind what he was referring to.

\'Is that why you\'ve been avoiding her?\' she asked curiously. The look he gave her said he had no clue as to what she was talkig about. She sighed, wondering if she should explain to him what Kendra had confided in her.

\'You know something, Miss von Haifisch? Something I don\'t?\' he questioned. While his tone was soft, she could hear the underlying thread of anger at the idea that she might be keeping something from him.

\'Kendra said that she thinks you find her fat and unattractive. She is convinced you want nothing more to do with her. She said you only look at her for five seconds at a time, and you never wish to sleep with her anymore,\' Illiana told him. She watched the tightening of his lips, the only sign he gave that he was upset. It seemed he was not acting like a \'sodding prat\', as the red head had claimed.

\' I have a terribly difficult time keeping my hands off the spoiled little chit. The fact of the matter is, I\'m trying to be cautious of her because of her pregnancy. I am, in all honesty, afraid I will hurt her,\' he sighed heavily. She watched as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation, then looked up at her. She could see some emotion simmering in his eyes, but she couldn\'t name it. He glanced around before continuing. \'And I am working on a surprise for her. Her father and I are planning her wedding. Our wedding. And it is to be a surprise.\'

\'A surprise wedding? Is she going to like that?\' Illiana couldn\'t help but think that it was a terribly bad idea where the pregnant woman was concerned.

\'I think I will be able to smooth over any problems she has with it,\' he replied, sounding terribly sure of himself. She chuckled at his attitude. \'The wedding is why I am not spending as much time with her as she deems necessary. I\'ve been Apparating from Hogsmeade to her parents and back nearly every night. I\'m so bloody tired when I get back, I return to the dungeons to sleep. Not because I don\'t want to sleep with Kendra, but because I do. If you understand my meaning.\'

\'Yes, I think I do,\' she grinned at him. To which he scowled fiercely. She knew precisely what he was meaning.

\' I find myself needing help,\' he sighed. She gave him a curious look, and he continued. \' I require someone to help keep Kendra busy until plans are finalized. How long will you be staying, Miss von Haifisch?\'

\' I hadn\'t decided. I am enjoying my trip here to the U.K. and I would like to see more of it,\' she shrugged.

\' If you are inclined to stay, I could use your help,\' he stated, and she got the distinct impression that he was not used to asking for help. From anyone.

\'That could be arranged, Professor. Let me think on it, and I shall get back to you on it,\' she smiled at him and wandered away, looking for her wayward toy.

~*~*~*~*~

Draco left Snape and went off in search of Illiana. The Great Hall was crowded, making it hard for him to see any one person. He wandered through the crowds, searching for familiar faces and cursing the Fates for giving him the pleasure of the woman\'s company, then snatching her away. It seemed to be his luck, of late. He sighed and found himself back at the wall, leaning next to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The three men looked at each other for a moment or two, then shrugged and went back to watching the crowd in mutual silence.

A loud laugh and a flash of red caught Draco\'s attention, and he looked to see Illiana dancing with one of the Weasley twins. For some reason, it did nothing to make him any happier about his present situation. He should be the one dancing with the Durmstrang Beater, not one of the Weasels. He groaned, noting the look of utter joy on her face. How could she enjoy dancing with Weasely when she could be dancing with him? Did he just see his hand brush over her nicely rounded bottom? And was that her hand brushing lightly over his chest?

She returned the first twin to the spot where his brother was standing. Her hand slipped into the previously neglected red head as she went up on tip toes to kiss her last partner\'s cheek. She gave him a smile, then turned to the man who held her hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. What the bloody hell was she doing? Didn\'t she know that he was more than willing to dance with her? In more ways than one.

The song changed in short order, and so did her partner. This time, she was dancing with Viktor Krum. She was smiling away at the lout as he talked avidly. It was a crime that she was enjoying herself while he was standing here at the wall, as if he were some sort of leper. He noticed a red head moving toward where he stood and turned to look. Ginny Weasley was coming toward the three of them. Somehow, Ginny had grown into a rather nice looking girl. He thought a bit of turn about was fair, so he grabbed Ginny\'s hand as she stopped next to her brother. \'Ron, let me borrow your sister. I need her!\'

He saw Ron\'s face go white, and once more, he was choking on his drink. The butter beer he had just sipped was now coming out his nose. Again. Draco paid no mind, merely tugged Ginny onto the floor behind him. She was too stunned to make any protests. He swept her into his arms, moving fluidly into a graceful dance step that rendered Ginny wordless yet again. He pressed her up against him, feeling how soft and curvy she\'d gotten since he\'d first met her. She stared at him mutely, unable to figure out what he was up to. Draco smiled down at her, looking over her head at the spot where Viktor and Illiana were dancing.

\'Draco?\' Ginny finally managed to stutter. Draco glanced at her, then relaxed himself and decided he needed to make the most of it. He gave her his attention, deciding that perhaps he could make Illiana jealous, if she happened to look and see him dancing happily with another woman. \'What the bloody hell is going on here?\'

\' I need a reason to dance?\' he asked, his voice silky and smooth.

\'No, but it\'s no secret how you feel about me and my family. I\'m only wondering when you\'re going to spring the trap,\' she replied dourly.

\'There is no trap, Ginny. I merely wished to dance with someone I know,\' he said easily. She glanced at him for a moment more, studying his face fr signs he was lying, before she allowed herself to relax and enjoy the dance.

Draco made small talk with Ginny, finding out many things about her that he hadn\'t known before. All the while, he kept an eye on Illiana and her partner. She had gone from Viktor Krum to Oliver Wood, laughing and talking gayly as if the two of them didn\'t have plans. He wanted to rind his teeth in frustration, but he wasn\'t about to let Ginny know he was using her to try and provoke jealous feelings in someone else. He had once over heard Ron telling Harry what she\'d done to Fred and George over a faulty Time Turner. He didn\'t want to be on the receiving end of her temper.

The dancing was halted as it was announced that the time for the Awards ceremony had arrived. All team members who had attended the party were called to the front of the room, where the staff\'s table was located. One by one, they all made their way forward, each team clustered together. Professor Dumbledore stood in the center, on the raised dias, waiting for silence to fall. It didn\'t take long before the room was totally quiet.

The awards were handed out, with Oliver wood winning Best Keeper Award. He beamed as he accepted the trophy, then moved back with his team mates. Best Seeker went to Viktor, which made Illana happy. Harry managed to win an award for Best Catch of The Snitch for his hanging off the broom upside down. The Best Beater Award ended up being split between Illiana and the Weasley twins. The three of them accepted their awards together, then all of the teams were brought up to stand together for one final round of applause for all their hard work.

It was during the applause that Oliver Wood leaned over to Malfoy and grinned. \'I see you didn\'t win anything.\'

\'Shut it, Wood, \' Draco spat angrily. He was in a sour mood now. He had spent his entire evening dancing with Ginny Weasley. While it was not the torture he had thought it might prove to be, he had wanted to have the silver haired Beater in his arms.

\'Oh, I wouldn\'t say he hasn\'t won anything,\' Illiana\'s voice purred next to his ear. \'He has, after all, won me. For as long as he can manage, I\'m all his. He just drips sex appeal.\' She was draped over him, her arm around his back while her face was pressed against his muscular chest. She gave him a smouldering look that brought the smirk back to his face. Then she turned her gaze on the rest of the group and allowed them to see her feelings.

\'You.... he...... I....\' Wood stuttered, then shook his head and chuckled. It seemed as if Draco had won himself a prize, indeed. Illiana laughed, pressing a quick kiss to the blonde\'s cheek. His arm came about her, and he turned his smug grin on the rest of them.

Not long after the Awards were handed out, the students were sent off to bed. It had grown quite late and they were told they needed their sleep. After much grumbling and complaining, Professor Snape quickly drove the students from the Hall by scowling at them all and treatening detentions with him in the dungeons if they all didn\'t leave at once. The adults were the only ones left within minutes. The persons left in the Hall were told to enjoy the festivities for as long as they liked.

Couples took the floor to dance, and Draco lead Illiana onto the floor wordlessly. She moved into his embrace, pressing close as they danced slowly. She heard Draco\'s chuckle, and looked up at him questioningly. He merely nodded at something behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kendra standing next to Snape, tugging on his hand. It was obvious she wanted to dance. He was not moving an inch. She glared up at him, then dropped the appendage she held and started across the floor.

The two of them stopped moving with the music and watched as the red head approached Harry Potter. When he realized she wanted him to dance with her, his gaze immediately shot to Snape. The man was scowling his scariest scowl, arms crossed over his chest tightly. She must have said something, because Potter smiled and took her hand to lead her onto the dance floor.

Kendra and Harry danced about the room, chatting to each other and ignoring the terribly unhappy stare of the Potions Master. She seemed at ease in Potter\'s hold, and they moved with simple fluid grace. The song ended, and they saw her sneak a glance at the dark man across the room. He had yet to move, so she began weaving toward the two of them. Illiana exchanged a look with Draco, waiting to see what would happen.

\'Draco, Illiana,\' she began, her tone terribly cheerful. \'I hate to interrupt your time together, but I was wondering if perhaps I might have a dance with Draco?\'

They exchanged a look with one another. Illiana smiled, understanding what Kendra was doing, and nodded her head at the blonde. He turned to face Kendra and managed a small smile. \' I\'d be delighted,\' he sounded sincere enough.

\'Don\'t bother, Malfoy. I believe this dance is taken, and the honor is mine,\' Snape\'s voice came from behind Draco. He turned to see the other man glaring at him as if he were the source of all the world\'s ills. Draco looked back to Kendra, noting the triumphant smile on her face. He flashed her a grin for her ingeniousness, then stepped out of the way. Snape took her hand in his and practically dragged her up against him. \' I should take you back to the cottage and paddle that rather spectacular arse of yours until it\'s as red as your hair.\'

\'Och, promises!\' she giggled as he whirled her away.

\'That is one couple I will never understand,\' Draco shook his head.

\'Believe it or not, the two of them love each other,\' Illiana told him. He stared at her for a moment as if he didn\'t comprehend what she had said, then turned his gaze back to the couple in black as the two of them twirled about the floor.

\'Draco,\' Illiana\'s soft use of his name brought his attention back around to her face. She had a smoky look in her eyes. He smiled down at her. \' I think I should like to continue our dance in private.\'

He nodded wordlessly and put his arm through hers, leading her through the crowd and toward the doors of the Great Hall. This was what he\'d been looking forward to, the entirely miserably slow night long.....

end chapter four.
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my thanks to madam shark, for all her help and support. and to kenly, big shout out. love ya, doll!

i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it. please fell free to leave reviews and let me know what you think. you are welcome to leave suggestions, as well.