Unexpected
Reverie
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Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: Once again, I do not speak French.
computer, so I'm aware it won't be perfect. If you do speak French, I would
like to apologize now for any slaughtering of the language I may have
inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?
French translations: ((example))
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
being called, and opened her eyes slowly. She then immediately bolted upright
when she saw her surroundings. She had no idea how she'd gotten wherever she
was and she could feel herself beginning to panic as she looked around. She was
in some sort of tunnel; but the walls and ceiling were not made from stone or
wood. They looked almost alive. The
ceiling and floor were both squishy and moist, as were the walls. But the walls
also had something different. There were dark blue vine-type things running
through them and pulsing slightly, standing out vividly against the pinks and
reds of everything else, and a faint white glow emanated from everywhere and
nowhere.
But one of the things that she found the most disturbing was a
loud, thrumming noise that was so low and deep that everything rumbled with it.
The blue vines' pulsing matched the eerie drum-like sound perfectly and she had
a sudden, strong desire to touch the strangely beautiful vines. Barely thinking,
she reached out a hand only to have it snatched backwards. She screamed,
spinning around with her free fist lifted, before she saw two things at once
that brought her memory rushing back. A glowing purple cuff around her wrist
and unmistakable mercury eyes. Said mercury eyes were looking at her with
concern and seemed much more like they usually did than they had before in the
common room.
"Do not touch the walls, ma soleil." Draco said, his
grip on her hand lessening a bit. ((my sun))
"What happened?"
her to her feet.
"An untrained mind can't make the jump and stay
conscious." He replied as he watched her take a few experimental steps on
the flexible floor. "Welcome to Reverie."
"I was hoping my first trip here would be under better
circumstances." She murmured. Then louder, "I don't know why I wanted
to touch the wall so badly. What is this place?"
"A healing road tuned specifically into Blaise through his
blood. The walls represent his flesh and the beating his heart, but it's the
veins that you have to watch out for." He said and she took a step back.
Veins. Not vines. Oh gods.
"Why is that?" She questioned after a moment.
"They'll suck you into one or more of his memories."
Draco responded as he began leading them down the passageway. "And, at
best, it would only slow us down. But we can't afford even that this
time."
"I thought you said he w sta stay in a suspended state until
we either stopped the poison or failed?"
more beginning to eat at her insides.
"He will." Draco said, something dark flickering in his
silver eyes. "But the longer he stays that way, the less chance there is
that he'll fully recover."
allowing that to sink in.
"Alright, so we have to hurry. Where are we going?" She
asked, and Draco figured there was no harm in explaining a few things while
they were walking.
"To find the right poison path. Normally, a healer brings a
locator charm with them, but my nose works just as well."
"You can smell it?"
"I've known the scent of Whomping Willow sap my entire life.
My mother didn't want me having any preventable accidents, no matter how
unlikely. The path will smell like the poison. Once you've become an Animagus,
you should be able to do much the same."
"My senses must seem pretty pathetic to you."
slightly miffed that she hadn't gotten to start the Animagus training yet. It
was one of the things she was the most excited about learning.
"I find nothing about you pathetic,
seriously, shooting her a knowing, exasperated look. He'd heard her complain
about little else over the last few weeks.
"I just don't see why I can't-"
something moving towards them out of her peripheral vision from the direction
they'd come from. "Draco?"
"I know. It's been gaining on us for a minute or so. Whatever
it is, it has no pulse, nor does it breathe."
"It's something dead?"
the ones she'd seen in
"I didn't say that. It could be a number of things that dwell
here. Or something else." Draco added, and she didn't like the way that
he'd said 'something else' at all. She started to take out her wand, a habit
even though she no longer needed it as much, but he stopped her.
"First rule: No wands. They won't work here; Reverie is too
closely intertwined with the void. Just imagine what you need. This may be the
land of healing, of visions and memories, but it is the land of dreams as well.
In some places, it may be impossible, but anything we conjure beforehand will
stay with us."
As an example, he held out both hands, the purple cord stretching
between them, and two swords materialized, his fingers automatically wrapping
around the hilts. They were both beautiful and looked priceless. The sword he
held in his left hand had a platinum hilt shaped into a fierce looking dragon,
and his hand fit perfectly around the body. It was encrusted with emeralds and
trimmed in ebony, but the dragon's eyes and the blade itself were what drew her
attention. At first, they appeared made of ice, but upon closer inspection, she
realized that they were diamonds coated with a layer of frost. Startled, she
looked harder. She'd been around enough Slytherins lately that she knew what a
diamond looked like, and she'd been right. The eyes were each a diamond the width
of her fingernail, and the entire blade of the sword was a single chunk of the
precious stone, although it appeared to be somehow more at the same time. But even that didn't gain her attention as
much as the fact that it was the sword from her dreams.
Glancing hurriedly at the other sword, she gasped even though
she'd been almost positive of what she would see. The second sword was also one
of the swords from her dreams. The only difference between them was that there
was only one of each now instead of two. The second sword was as exquisite as
the first, but the blade was made of an extremely rarack ack metal that she had
only seen pictures of before. Ebentine. Indestructible and impossibly sharp,
none of the metal had been seen in centuries except for bits and fragments. She
looked back at the other sword, realizing what she hadn't the first time. It
was not ebony trimming the platinum hilt of the first sword. It was more of the
dark metal. The second sword's hilt was also made of the black metal and was formed
into the hooded figure of Death. It was studded wemeremeralds and trimmed in
platinum, and the tiniest wisps of energy ran over the surface of the ebentine,
making it seem alive with shadows.
"Here." Draco said, extending the ebentine sword to her
hilt-first. "It's Blaise's. It seems…appropriate, somehow, that you use it
rather than some lesser blade." He said, releasing the sword when she took
it.
"These are…"
"Yes." Draco agreed when she didn't finish.
"They've been in our families for ages, but we're the first in centuries
who can touch them."
"What? Why? I can touch them. Or at least this one."
the shocks running through her palm from the sword. It reminded her of touching
Blaise, which got her feet moving forward faster. Draco matched her increased
pace easily.
"Well, you're an Elemental, cher un. Otherwise, you'd be
dead." He said flippantly, his eyrainrained on the shadowy passage ahead
of them, though she would almost guarantee he was listening to the figure
getting closer and closer to them from behind. ((dear one))
"Dead? The swords kill anyone who's not an Elemental?"
"Unless we have the safety on. Which we typically
don't…" He trailed off as if remembering something, before shaking his
head and continuing. "We added that feature, though. It was actually an
idea inspired by a muggle weapon, and it was…necessary." He said and her
mouth dropped, before she snapped it shut and started giggling.
"What?" He asked, glancing at her warily.
"You two got an
idea from muggles?" She asked
incredulously. He shrugged.
"'Know thine enemy'." He said, completely unfazed.
"Or at least their weaponry."
"Ginny!" A voice shouted from behind them, and they spun
around, Draco placing her firmly behind him despite her protests.
"Whoever or whatever it is,
friend. Illusor eor enemy, but not a friend." Draco said under his breath
as the figure drew up to them.
who it was.
"Mum!?" She asked, shocked. Her mother looked as she
always did, but she had blood on her hands and tears running down her plump
cheeks. There was a stupefied, haunted look in her eyes as their gazes locked,
and
confusion wash over her, distorting everything. Why was her mother here? Where was
she? And why did her mum look so sad? There was something, something she knew
she shouldn't forget, but it was so hard to think…
Where had that come from? It had sounded like it came from right
beside her, but neither Draco nor her mother had spoken. She couldn't
concentrate, and her eyes kept going back to the blood on her mother's hands.
Why was her mother bloody? why why was Draco looking at her so suspiciously?
What the hell was going on?
him. I won't, though.'
There it was again. She glanced around, feeling sliy pay panicked,
and the sword slid nearly out of her hand as she jumped when her mother spoke.
"I'm so sorry, Ginny-baby." Her mum said, using her old
nickname. More tears spilled down her mother's cheeks. What had happened? Why
was her mother crying?
"Mum? What's wrong?"
sounded a million miles away. Draco clutched her hand, digging his nails into
her flesh until she bled, and a little bit of sanity returned to her. She was
here to help Blaise, that wasn't really her mother, she had to get that voice
out of her head…As if summoned, it spoke once again and another wave of
confusion swamped her.
will be betrayed. Trust no one but me, angel.'
She had heard that somewhere before, but the thought was gone as
soon as it came. Her mother spoke again, and the words twisted around in her
brain, eating at something vital.
"So sorry…" Her mother sobbed. "I should have been
there…Just got to the hospital…Asked Ahisma Patil to reach you by showing a
sending of me to you…Your father's dead, Ginny." Her mother fell, almost
in slow motion, crumpling to the floor and nearly shrieking in grief.
but I will heal you.'
That was too much and the words joined together, slamming
viciously into her mind. The sword fell to the soft, pliable floor as a chocked
scream left her throat. She could feel her mind begin to break, before a soft
pulse of reassurance shot through her. She could think somewhat clearly again
and her eyes snapped open, seeing Draco kneeling before her, glowing with dark
power, one hand on her head, the other over her heart. His eyes were shining,
the pupils split, and a murderous sneer was twisting his crimson lips. And
suddenly, another voice entered her mind, opposing the first.
p>
not break her!'
know not who you toy with!'
Not here. Not ever.'
see.'
The last comment was followed by an explosion of power that ripped
through her mind, yet somehow didn't harm her. It actually did the opposite;
clearing away the last of the confusion and soothing the wounded edges of her
psyche. The other, though, was not so lucky. A scream the likes of which she
had never dreamed echoed back to her from the link, right before it snapped
when the torrent of energy Draco had released slammed into it, and the howl was
filled with pain, rage and a promise of retribution.
"
voice questioned after the whirlwind of energy died down, and she glanced back
up at her boyfriend. Except he didn't look like her boyfriend. He looked ethereal,
quite like how she imagined the gods must have looked when they had taken human
form in the past. There was still a dark cocoon of power encircling him and his
eyes were neon silver, lit from within with a caliginous light. He looked
tense, his muscles coiled; there was a feeling of battle-alertness about him
and the power he was giving off was nearly choking, even for her. He must have
sensed that, as he pulled it back almost immediately to a more comfortable
level.
"Why are you still channeling?" She asked him, not
particularly wanting to talk about the voices in her head yet, at least until
she was positive she wasn't insane. He must have sensed that, too, and asked no
questions. Shit, he probably knew more about what had just happened then she
did anyway. She glanced down at her hand and noticed that the small wounds from
Draco's nails had been healed, right as he spokein.
"Once I draw on my power here, I cannot close it off again.
It is one reason Blaise and I have never stayed in the visions for more than a
day or two. If you allow yourself to be drained here, you will more than likely
never leave." D rep replied, his voice like a velvet-coated melody. It was
almost tangible, whispering over her skin in a sensuous caress, but what caused
her to pause was the almost childish look on her lover's face, which was
something she had never seen before.
"Ginny! Do you not care about your father at all?" Her
'mother' called in a raspy voice.
time, looking at the replica of her mum.
"Be gone. You have no power here, illusion."
her mum wavered, then screamed, fighting against the ties that bound its kind.
One of which was that upon discovery, it must disperse.
"You have not the power to banish me, vision-
The illusion cried out, growing a little more solid.
never heard of an illusion being able to hold its form after discovery. Draco
glided in front of her, and when she looked down, she saw that his boots were
barely skimming the floor.
"Will you name me vision-crawler?"
Draco asked, his voice deceptively smooth.
"No." The illusion replied, taking a step backwards and
looking nervous. "I name you vision-walker."
"Good." Draco said, laughing happily, and held out his
hand as if to blow the illusion a kiss.
A small vortex of whipping snow and freezing ice appeared above
his outstretched palm, growing to the size of a human eye. A mirthful twinkle
lit in Draco's eyes, and the sphere twisted into the shape of a pair of
silvery-white lips. He pursed his own lips and blew, laughing merrily as the
illusion turned and ran, the lips hitting it square in the back. It screamed
again as the ice and snow grew, quickly covering its entire form in less than a
minute. Draco very nearly skipped with glee as he went to the frozen figure and
spun it around. The illusion's eyes were moving back and forth frantically, as
the ice that would have killed anything alive only trapped it. But to an
illusion, that was nearly as bad, since they had no concept of death as mortals
do.
"Tsk, tsk." Draco mocked in a singsong voice. "Your
going to be owing your superiors a big favor if they can get you out of this
one, aren't you?" The illusion's eyes burned with rage, but Draco only
laughed again. "Come on,
far from the path." A glazed look covered those starlight eyes for a
moment. "Not ft alt all."
They started walking forward again,
sword and noticing that at some point, Draco had called in a black leather back
sheath for his sword. She did the same, doing what he said to do and imagining
a sheath that would fit both her and the blade. Moments later, she felt the odd
weight of the sheath hanging down her back. Sliding the sword home with
practiced ease, she sent a silent 'thank you' to her father and brothers for
insisting that she learn basic sword fighting at the least, as most wizarding
families still taught their children to do. Her mother had been against it,
even though she herself knew a bit, but for once, they had overruled her. After
all, duels and wars alike were fought the same way between their kind; a sword
in one hand and a wand in the other.
"Draco?"
minutes of hearing him hum a Weird Sister's song and seeing him looking around,
wide-eyed and cheerful. It was so unlike Draco that she had to say
"Hmm?"
"Are…Are you okay?"
She said, not sure how to phrase it. Maybe she was just freaking out again or
something. "I mean, you're just acting kind of…"
"Different?" Draco supplied with a bright smile that
seemed all the brighter because of the dark energy surrounding him. At least it
wasn't his Elemental power swirling around him, or she'd have to call on her
own just to keep her body temperature above that of a corpse.
"Umm, yeah." She agreed, this 'new' Draco completely
throwing her off track. How could someone who looked so dark and dangerous, who
she knew was dark and dangerous,
still remind her of a Christian angel? How could someone so venomous and deadly
have a face that could make Aphrodite weep? But, in a way, she supposed it made
sense. After all, all dragons are beautiful until they bite off your head.
"The more accomplished one becomes at vision-walking, the
more time you spend here. The more time you spend here, the harder it becomes to
resist this land's pull on your mind. You learn resistance, but even that c
wi
with a price. Today that price came like this. I've never felt so bubbly in my
life." He said, something almost like a giggle escaping his lips, his dark
eyelashes fluttering down momentarily and brushing against soft, glowing
cheeks. "At least now I know how Blaise felt during that trance we did in
"Blaise experienced a side effect like this one?"
smile flittering over her lips at the thought.
"Just the once." Draco replied, and his nostrils flared
slightly. "Yes." He breathed out in a hiss. "Come, we are
close." He took her hand again and sped off down the passage, the red
walls flying past them. He stopped suddenly and she saw that they'd come to a
fork in the path.
"Which way?" She asked, sincerely hoping that he'd say
the left. It looked much more appealing with its light pink walls than the
other option did with its dark black ones. Of course, that was a passing
fantasy.
"To the right." He said, and she took a deep breath as
they entered the dark tunnel. The veins nearly blended in here, the only sign
of them being telltale ridges. The tunnel was lit by a mysterious light here,
too, but it was a dark blue instead of pale white. They had made it a good
thirty feet or so down the path, when a red spider the size of a small cat
scuttled out of the shadows.
the tip of her sword, but Draco only grinned. The grin disappeared, however,
when instead of moving towards them, the spider ran over to one of the walls
and climbed up to about waist-height. It lifted one of its hairy legs and
stabbed it into one of the veins on the wall, ripping down. Dark blood began
pouring from the cut and the spider disappeared.
saw that all his previous cheerfulness was gone as he stared at the blood
gushing down the wall. The slit pupils in his eyes were growing, widening until
only a lin line of silver was left on the sides, and his canines were
elongating to form into dainty, deadly fangs. She could feel on an instinctual
level that this was very different
then their blood-play. This was the blood hunger, brought on by the
overwhelming scent of Blaise's blood in a land that twisted everything; which
meant that she had to walk carefully and follow every rule of vampire etiquette
that she could remember.
"Devoir nous poursuivre avant, mon maître? Je vais être honoré á se soumettre vous tout le sang
vous besoin quand nous atteindre notre objectif."
bold'>Virginia
words together rapidly and praying that she'd gotten them right. She had to ask
in his native language before he would, no, could
respond. That's why so many vampires had been found guilty of crimes in the
past, because no one had realized how to ask them correctly until the Vampire
Rebellion in the sixteen hundreds. Until then, many wizards had thought them
soulless, like the Dementors. ((Shall we continue on, my lord? I will be
honored to give you all the blood you need when we reach our destination.))
"Si vous dire." Draco said,
the light musical tone from minutes ago gone and replaced by a voice like
liquefied silk seduction. She could see him fighting with himself by the subtle
clenching of muscles and the slight tick in his jaw, and she knew he was trying
his damnedest not to rip her throat out. It's just the way things were for a
vampire suffering from the blood hunger, especially in such close proximity to
a mortal. And since Draco and Blaise both still fed off of the more-than-willing
Slytherins regularly, so as not to drain her, she had never dealt with this
before. They had, however, prepared her for it, and it was one of the main
reasons they'd begun teaching her French immediately, and the reason the
Slytherins could all speak it fluently. ((So you say.))
"Faire vous n'
bold'>rappeler ma sucré sang sur votre langue, mon maître?"
bold'> asked, and Draco's hands clenched tightly in his robes. ((Do you not
remember my sweet blood upon your tongue, my lord?))
"Oui. You may speak in English, if
you wish." Draco finally said through gritted teeth, his eyes glued to the
pulse at her throat. ((Yes))
"Then you know my promise of blood is
good. Come, mon chou, we must find Blaise."
bold'>Virginia
her hand. He took it, his razor sharp nails sliding over the delicate flesh of
her wrist and sending delicious shivers down her spine. Gods, I'm really fucked up if I'm even semi getting off on this. When
his hand slid out of hers and wound down to her waist, that suspicion was
confirmed. ((my beloved))
"Blaise." Draco said, rolling
the name around in his mouth as if it were a fine wine. "Oui, we must find
Blaise." With a purpose besides feeding to dwell on, Draco gained a
measure of his control back, however small. A vampire of a lesser bloodline
would probably have already killed her, since she knew that the blood hunger
was greatly intensified when in Reverie. They walked in silence,
bold'>Virginia
sidelong glances at Draco every so often, until they reached a wooden door. It
seemed very out of place among the fleshy walls and throbbing veins.
>
"Do we just go through it?"
She asked and Draco gave a stiff nod. >
She hoped he could hold out a little
longer, because they had expressly told her not to let them feed when the
hunger had them, in order to make sure there were no…accidents. And the only
chance a human had for that to work was if they followed their etiquette
perfectly. She pulled the door open and they went through slowly, looking
around. They'd entered a huge chamber made out of the same stuff the passageway
was. The Great Hall at Hogwarts could have easily fit inside it, and the light
was brighter here even though the walls were stile sae same diseased-looking
black. The room was plain, free of decoration, and there were four doors. One
on the wall opposite from them and three lined up together to their right. They
walked farther in and the door slammed shut behind them, causing Virginia to
jump and Draco to curse. A voice neither of them had thought to ever hear again
drifted from the shadows and it, too, sent shivers down her spine, but they
were of an entirely different sort.
"Welcome, welcome. It took you long
enough. I've been waiting for ages."
"Hello, Lucius." Draco said,
showing none of his surprise is exs expression.
"How many times do I have to tell
you to call me 'Father' again?" Lucius asked, stepping out of the shadows.
He (or it) looked exactly as he had the last time that
bold'>Virginia
papers. With the exception of the death photos, of course.
"You stopped being my father the
day you wanted me to l atl at the feet of a deranged mudblood." Draco spat.
"You should have done what you were
told!" Lucius countered, slamming the end of his ever-present cane into
the soft flesh beneath them.
"I kneel before
and not a single soul mourned you. When you die the final death, our kin will
rip what's left of your soul to pieces." Draco hissed, unsheathing his
sword and calling in its twin. His eyes were a swirling maelstrom of fury, the
thin lines of silver being pulled towards the center in a continuous spiral.
"Angry you didn't finish me off the
first time around?" Lucius taunted even as he retreated a few steps. Draco
snarled, advancing on him.
"I won't make the same mistake
twice."
"Draco, wait!"
bold'>Virginia
Draco to pause momentarily. "It's only another illusion, right? It's just
baiting you!"
"No." Draco growled, his dark
aura expanding to cover the twin blades in his hands. "This is no
illusion. It's really him. Or what's left of him, to be more precise."
"Your death will be worth it, heir "Oh, they were just "I didn't think of it as torture,
or not." Lucius sneered. "I had plans for you, you know. But
apparently, your lessons weren't…forceful enough."
"There's ing ing that will bring a father and son closer than a healthy
dose of torture, after all."
per say." Lucius commented lazily, and
bold'>Virginia
urge to gouge out his eyes. "More like preparation, you ungrateful little
shit."
"Come off of it." Draco
snapped. "I know as well as you do that you and Jeran both got a perverse
pleasure from watching our blood run."
"You were both weak. We made you
strong." Lucius countered. "It was nothing too different from what
other families like ours teach their children."
"That is bullshit, Lucius, and you know it." Draco replied, with a look
of utter disgust etched across his features. "Anton couldn't throw off the
Cruciatus by the time he was four. Pansy wasn't led into death mazes before shas sas seven with her wand charmed to cast only the killing curse. And I can
guarantee that neither have ever felt the lash of a demon whip or been left to
their mercy. Not when they were nine, not now. Face it, Lucius. You were a
terrible father. But don't worry; Severus has been filling in the role quite
nicely, just as he always has. Oh, did I tell you? He and Mother married."
"Narcissa broke our vows?"
Lucius roared, causing
bold'> to jump and start to unsheathe Blaise's sword. Draco caught her eyes and
gave a slight shake of his head. She let her hand drop back down to her side
and prayed that he knew what he was doing.
"Vows?" Draco asked incredulously.
"Surely you haven't deluded yourself to that extremity? Mother never
wanted to marry you; she could see the taint inside you from the first day that
she'd met you. And our kind's wedding vows, which I'm sure you recall, are
binding for eternity. Unless they are
said with an unwilling heart. So, no,
Lucius. You have no bond mate that could petition for your salvation. You will
burn with Hades for eternity." Lucius looked as if he had a momentary
flash of fear, before his smirk returned. He moved his eyes from his son and
placed them on
bold'>, starting at feetfeet and working his way up. It made her feel dirty, as
if he'd managed to leave a streak of filth on the inner barriers of her mind.
"And who is thi>, D>, Draco? The girl our master's learned that you and Blaise have
been fucking? Does she let you feed? Is she your little bloodslut?" Lucius
asked nastily, and Draco's sword whipped out lightning quick. Lucius jumped
backwards, but he was nowhere near fast enough. A long gash opened on his
thigh, going from hip to knee.
"You shut the fuck up about
her." Draco warned, an otherworldly light burning deep within his eyes.
Lucius' eyebrows rose.
"You care for her?" He asked, his now-slightly-strained voice full
of disbelief. "What a joke! You may be the first active Elemental in our
line for a millennium, but the latent blood has run through us all. I know the
complete coldness in your soul; I know the heart of ice you try so valiantly to
deny. You claim to know love when you cannot even truly feel it."
bold'>Virginia said vehemently.
"And he's already a better man than you ever were! All you are is lonely
and jealous."
"Jealous?" Lucius scoffed.
"Of what? You? You're probably not even a pureblood knowing this
traitorous little brat."
"Oh, she's pureblooded,
Lucius." Draco said, his sneer turning vicious once more. "I prayed I
would find a way to teou tou this before the final death, and it seems my wish
has come true."
"Tell me what?" Lucius asked,
looking like a petulant child.
"I think you can figure it out if
you look a little closer." Draco said, a note of his earlier cheerfulness
creeping back into his voice, although this time it was twisted with hate.
Lucius turned back to her, his eyes searching. They widened suddenly and he
shook his head in horrified denial.
"You see it now, don't you,
Lucius?" Draco crooned, his silver gaze drinking in his father's petrified
look hungrily. "May I introduce mine and Blaise's girlfriend, then?"
He asked, and playing along since she too found Lucius' reaction quite
satisfying,
bold'> stepped forward.
"Virginia Adiena Weasley, Lord
Malfoy. I wish I could say that it was an honor to meet you." That much
tru true at least.
"You can't be serious, Draco!" Lucius raged, finding his voice. "A
killing us? You have to pollute mine and Jeran's lines with that
his mouth, Draco's sword flashed again, this time slicing his arm to the bone
before her boyfriend danced gracefully back.
"One more of those,
Lucius snarled, and she realized that even though no blood was flowing, he
still felt the pain of the wounds.
"Well, I've definitely heard that
one before." Draco said with a thoughtful expression.
"You spiteful little bastard. We
could have been great together!" The older man yd. Ad. An unholy smirk
spread across Draco's face as he slowly began to circle his father.
"I will be great." Draco said, and
bold'>Virginia
were glowing with their own power, not just his. "Just not with
"Then with who?" Lucius asked,
and she saw a malicious glint enter his gray eyes. "That Zabini you've
been fucking? The boy's nothing but a useless slut; quite like your girlfriend
here." Draco moved so fast that once again
bold'>Virginia
one second he was at her side, the next his swords were buried in his father's
chest. Lucius laughed as he looked at the blades embedded in his chest, and
then met his son's eyes.
"You think to kill a revenant with
two puny little swords like these?" Lucius asked mockingly and
bold'>Virginia
Revenants were witches and wizards who made a pact with demons as they died.
They were allowed a half-life in Reverie, and were pretty much allowed to do as
they wished. The only way for them to return to the mortal world, however, was
for a Dark mage to call them through a rite of sacrifices. The art was all but
lost, though it was rumored that a few still had the knowledge. Revenants could
be killed, but only with a relic crafted by the hands of a deity. For a moment,
she had a flash of pure, basic, primal fear; but Draco was always just full of
surprises.
"Of course not,
that hold your final death." Draco said, a genuine smile raising the
corners of his blood-red lips. Lucius looked down and his eyes widened as if
something shocking had just been revealed to him, while
bold'>Virginia
shiver of a broken glamour spell.
"NO! These are not the swords you
just held!" Lucius started, and then stopped as the power running along
the swords' blades pulsed, Draco's smile growing all the wider.
Lucius screamed, and his head was thrown
backwards as his body convulsed. It was followed by another pulse and another
scream, before Draco's eyes slipped closed. The dark halo of energy surrounding
him began feeding into the swords, which turned an almost blinding silver. A
final shockwave of power pulsed outwards and Lucius's body crumbled into ash at
Draco's feet. Dark brown sparks floated out of the pile, rising in curvy, dizzy
lines upwards. A ripping sound echoed through the room, and
bold'>Virginia
but stare as the air split open and a portal of some sort appeared out of
nowhere. Ghostly white hands reached out, scooping up the tiny brown globes of
light -too-too-gently. Draco's smile had turned into one of satisfaction and a
sudden thought came to her.
"Draco, those aren't your
"Did you think I was lying?"
He asked, turning to face her.
His eyes were still violent whirlpools
and there was a slightly mad look inside of them. He slid both swords into
their sheathes, and she'd completely missed him calling the second sheathe in.
She was about to respond, when the last of the brown balls zipped away from a
translucent hand, gave an almighty shriek, and exploded. Something happened
then that she couldn't really explain. It felt as if she was being ripped in
half, and her knees gave out as she felt something being forcefully stolen from
her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, scorching her skin, but all she knew
was a desperate, aching emptiness that had filled her from head to foot.
Clenching her fists, she raised her head and saw that Draco was barely keeping
his feet, one hand clutched to his chest. But the biggest difference was the
lack of power surrounding him and the swords. It was gone, but she knew that
couldn't be right, as he'd said he couldn't shut it down while still in
Reverie. The purple cord that had bound them together had also disappeared, and
it made her feel slightly naked.
"Draco? Mon coeur? What
happened?" She asked, crawling towards him as she fought the feeling of
helplessness and depression rising inside of her. He looked over and fell to
his knees beside her as she reached him. ((my heart))
"He managed to somehow bring the
shields around the room down. It's a vacuum, one of the places that I told you
no magic or conjuring of any kind will work in." Draco said, wrapping his
arms around her and stroking her hair.
"The blood lust?" She asked,
looking down at where their hair was loosely intertwined.
color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>"Gone, along with all the rest of
my magic.&; He; He said, and she shivered, moving closer to him. She had never
felt so wretched in her entire life. At least she knew what the splitting
sensation had been. Her magic being taken from her.
"We do get our magic back, right?" She asked, a note of panic
entering her voice at the very thought of being forever handicapped in such a
way.
"Yes, as soon as we can find a way
out of this room and back into a shielded part of Reverie. And I can pretty
much guarantee we won't be leaving the way we came."
"Why?"
"Look." He said, pointing to
where they'd entered the cursed room. The door that had admitted them was gone,
nothing but more of the sickly black flesh barring the way. The other doors
remd, ad, and after a few minutes, they were reoriented enough to stand and
keep their feet under them. The hole in the air was gone, as were all of the
brown balls.
"Have you ever had this happen
before?" She asked as they made their way to the three doors on the side
wall.
"Yes." He said, his hand a
comforting weight in hers. "And these areas stay under constant watch.
Whatever we must fac lea leave this place will more than likely not be
pretty."
"What do you mean? How do you know
for tha that we'll even run into anything? We're almost to the doors
now."
bolsaidsaid, looking at the twenty or so feet they had left to go. Draco was
wary, his eyes constantly moving, and it unnerved her. It usually wouldn't
have, but everything was so different, as if she'd been blinded. The natural
feel of the void's magic was gone, as was her link to the Elements. It was
worse than losing a limb.
"That we are." Draco agreed.
"And already it takes form." He said, and her head snapped back up.
There were patches of what looked like
fog coalescing in the air, and they were soon shaped into something resembling
a human form, but it was three feet too tall and its limbs were segmented like
an insect's. It began filling out with color and substance, and
bold'>Virginia
bolt of fear as she recognized the creature from drawings in the seventh years'
DADA books. It was a bicorn, a demonic being but not a demon. It moved
strangely and had two long, curving horns, one on each side of its head. Its skin
was a mottled gray, yellowish-green spots spread across it here and there. It
had three long fingers that were also segmented and a thumb three times as long
as a human's. Its face was a mask of charred flesh and sagging skin, and its
eyes were almost the same sick brown color that Lucius's spirit had been. The
thick, choking, sulfuric scent of demonic magic hung heavily in the air around
it and
bold'> wanted nothing more than to get away from the foul creature.
"Hail, Guardian." Draco called
from where they'd stopped, about ten feet from the…thing. "What challenge
do you issue us this day?"
"She is not a walker." The
thing said in a scry, hy, hissing voice. "What think thee by bringing her
here, Black Healer?"
color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>"I am not a Healer yet." Draco
argued. "Your kind knows that well enough."
"As thee wish, Draco." The
bicorn intoned. "But we also know that it's only because of pesky mortal
traditions and laws. Join us, young one. We would make thee great, as thee said
thee would be."
"I need no help from you and yours,
Guardian." Draco replied, an edge in his velvety voice.
"Aye, but help from my masters
would aide thee well. They've wanted thee, as I'm sure thee know, ever since
their very first taste." The thing said, and Draco stiffened next to her.
"Oh yes, they enjoyed thy…company
quite well. And thy pretty boyfriend's, too. Thee were both the talk of Hell
and Tartarus for years. Still are from time to time. Everyone wants a taste of
the two of thee; the boys whose blood made the Low Lord scream. And now that
thee are older…I'm sure for a little ganashing they would hand thee the world."
The bicorn said the last mockingly, but the rest he'd been frighteningly
serious about.
"Ganashing?"
bold'>Virginia
her damnedest not to let her fear leak into her voice. "What is
that?"
"You don't want to know."
Draco said in an undertone. Then louder, "I have told you and your kind
before and I will tell you again: I want no help from demons or
fills me just fine."
"Do not think the Deep Lords know
nothing of thy and thy lover's newest hobby. Grow much stronger at it and they
will crush thee." The thing snapped, its spittle hissing and steaming when
it hit its skin. Draco sneered.
"Yes, so we've heard before. I'm beginning
to think that the Deep Lords are not as fearsome as I once thought. If our
blood affected them so much when we were children, they would crawl at our feet
for a taste of it now."
"A Deep Lord bows for no one but
the Low Lord and the High Kings!" The bicorn screeched, its voice like
nails scraping over china.
"For a creature as old as yourself,
you have a horrible memory." Draco taunted. "In case you've
forgotten, which it seems you have, the Deep Lords have bowed to no one else,
but only since Lucifer joined with Hades. That joining is what called all of
the Elementals to the two High Kings and froze their bloodlines. But now…Three
of the bloodlines have thawed, Guardian, as you well know. Our kind were the
only beings besides a Lord of the Dark and the White Wanderers that the demons
ever feared. And now they've grown careless and fearless since the Elementals
and the White Wanderers disappeared, grown stupid and lazy as the Dark Lords
forsook what they were meant to be and became power-mad. So I know damn good
and well what your precious Deep Lords would do for my blood, unable to help
themselves, unable to resist its sweet, siren call." He said the last in a
singsong voice, laughing as the wannabe demon spluttered, then roared.
color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>
"I will play no more of these games
with thee!" It shouted, its skin turning a bright red with its anger and
making it look like a freshly boiled lobster. "Thy challenge is to find
the right door by answering each door's riddle. If thee answer all three
correctly, a forth riddle will be given. Answer it and the correct door will be
shown to thee. From there thee must defeat the door's sentinel. Should thee
survive, the way forward is thine to take. Simple enough, yes?" The bicorn
asked, and
bold'> didn't like the queer look in its eyes.
"Just let us hear the riddles,
Azelmurkinordiliag." Draco said, and the bicorn flinched at the sound of
what
bold'> supposed was its name.
"As you say, vision-walkBehoBehold
the first." It said, waving its long, multi-jointed arm at the far left
door. A high, tinny voice floated through the air, sounding like a thousand
four year olds speaking in unison.
"I drive men mad for love of me; I'm easily beaten, but never free."
"You have thirty seconds to discuss
it between you." The bicorn said, looking anxious. Draco and Virginia
turned slightly away from it and quietly conversed.
"Power?" She asked, thinking
of all the people throughout their history that had been driven insane by it.
"No." Draco said thoughtfully.
"Power itself cannot be beaten, as it has no real form. It simply jumps
from one to another."
free'."
bold'> murmured to herself, thinking furiously.
"I've got it." Draco said, his
eyes on the Gryffindor tie around his throat. He turned back to the bicorn.
"It's gold." He said, and the bicorn nodded reluctantly, looking
disappointed.
"Correct. Next."
"Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Who
uses it can neither see nor feel it." A different voice intoned, this
one mighty and booming, reminding her of waves hitting the shore.
"Only Draco may answer this time,
and no conversing is allowed. Thirty seconds." The bicorn said as the last
of the deep voice faded into nothing.
bold'>Virginia
insides churning. What if he didn't know or couldn't figure it out? What if
they couldn't make it in time to help Blaise at all? And the most stressing
question she had at the moment was if they got a question wrong, could they
fight their way past the bicorn without their magic? She wasn't too worried
about Draco answering his riddle, but if the tureture singled her out next…Well,
she had never been any good at riddles.
"Time's up. Does thy have an
answer?" The thing asked, and
bold'>Virginia
Draco nervously.
color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>
"A crypt." He drawled, lookiborebored. The bicorn actually stamped one clawed foot, letting out a stream of
what she was sure were obscenities, but it was in a rough, clipped language
that she doubted a human throat could reproduce.
"I will enjoy the day they break
thee, Draco Malfoy!" The bicorn huffed, its skin turning a deep mahogany.
"The day when thee gives in! They will lock thee in a davas cel cell for
eternity, and thee shall be their slave! The Mighty Malfoy, a pet of
demons!" The creature said, laughing shrilly.
"We shall see who slaves for whom,
Azelmurkinordiliag." Draco retorted, and the sound of that name again had
the creature paling rapidly. "Give the third riddle before my patience
runs out."
"I detest thee." The bicorn
spat. Draco gave it a look that said the feeling was entirely mutual.
bold'>Virginia
at this point that the two had met before, especially as Draco knew the
creature's name. She wondered what he had done for it, since anything as
seriously touched by demon magic as the creature in front of them never gave
their full name freely. Shit, they never gave anything freely. And actual demons were even worse about it.
"Carry on, then."
"I am glittering points that downward thrust, sparkling spears that
never rust." Yet a different voice said in a sweet tone that rose and
spiraled like birdsong.
"Only the girl this time, no
conversing. Thee has thirty-one seconds since thee is not a walker." The
bicorn said, a lousy version of a smirk on its too-thin lips.
"How generous."
bold'>Virginia
distractedly, her thoughts already on the riddle.
What had glittering points? Knife tips?
Needles? And sparkling spears…She was hopeless at this kind of thing.
Frustrated tears sprang to her eyes, but she fought them back. Crying in front of
Draco was one thing. Crying in front of this haughty demon-groupie was
something entirely different, and was something that she simply refused to do.
Why did this have to be their challenge? She would rather have faced some
horrible monster or something,
that she could do better than this. She hated riddles; she had her entire life.
And now, when she desperately needed to answer one, she was going to fail.
Blaise's life depended on her, and she'd never felt so hopeless in her life,
not even in her first year. When she had less than seven or eight seconds left,
she lifted her gaze to Draco, intending to let him see the defeat in her eyes
so he would be prepared. His own eyes were glittering ice and pulled at her as
they always did. Wait, glittering ice?
"Time. Give thy answer." The
bicorn called as her mind worked in overdrive, spurned on by desperation and
adrenaline. Glittering ice…Sparkling spears…
creature shouted when she hesitated, and she saw Draco began reaching for his
swords.
"An icicle!" She blurted,
praying to every god that she could think of to let her be right. The bicorn
shook its head and her heart fell to her toes before she realized that it was
shaking in anger and that Draco had a triumphant smirk plastered across his
lips. He grabbed her and spun her around, laying kisses over every inch of her
face and the sides of her neck.
"I knew you could do it!" He
said as she laughed. "You're brilliant!"
"Hey, you got two of them!"
She said as he sat her down and brushed her hair out of her face.
"Still here, as I'm sure thee
knows!" The bicorn shouted, its face screwed up with unhappiness and
loathing. "And thy must now answer the final riddle. Either of thee may
give the answer, but no speaking between thee. Understood?" It asked, and
when they nodded, it waved a mottled hand.
"What does man love more than life? Fear more than death or mortal
strife? What do the poor have, and the rich require? What do contented men
desire? What does the miser spend and the spendthrift save? Who alo all men
carry to their graves?" The voice this time was sweet and tinkling,
like running water bubbling over rocks in a spring brook.
"Forty seconds." The bicorn
bit out before leaning against the wall next to the row of doors.
bold'>Virginia
this one, just as she had been on the other. It had only been luck that she'd
thought of Draco's eyes like glittering ice and made the connection. She saw no
such miracle happening here. All she could do was pray that Draco knew the
answer. If he didn't, then they reahad had no choice but to try to fight the
bicorn, magicless or not. Draco might be able to manage, but she wasn't sure
she could take a bicorn yet even with her magic. You weren't supposed to learn
defense against them until the first year of University, let alone offense.
"Time." The bicorn called,
while Draco's eyes once more met
bold'>Virginia
out the breath she'd been holding.
"Nothing." She said, answering
his silent question aloud.
The bicorn let out a sudden scream of
fury that sounded like banshees and breaking glass. Draco was smiling again and
she was utterly lost. What the hell is
going on? The creature was beating its fists into the wall behind it and
screaming about someone promising him that he would get his revenge and that
he'd been assured that they wouldn't be able to answer them all. That was the
second time that something trying to stop them had mentioned not working alone,
and
bold'>'s mind was reeling. Something besides the normal dangers of Reverie was
trying to stop them, but how could anyone or anything have even known that they
would come? Blaise's injury had been spontaneous, so it's not as if whoever it
was could have been prepared. And Lucius had mentioned earlier that the Dark
Lord was aware of her relationship with the two Slytherins, even though he must
not have known who she was, but neither should have been possible yet since
they'd only come out about it earlier that day.
"Fine!" The bicorn bellowed. "Fine! But I will have
my pound of flesh! See the creature they mean for thee to fight!" It waved
its hand again, and the middle door started glowing a bright blue.
A massive creature began forming in front of it, standing at least
ten feet tall while being bowed over like an ape. It had five humongous, stubby
legs that were as big around as tree trunks and heavily muscled, low-slung
arms. Six eyes stared back at them, each as beady and black as a shark's, and
it had a huge, gaping mouth that rounded off into a short snout and was filled
with whatked ked to be over four rows of jaggedly sharp teeth. It had a
perfectly rounded head the size of a large cauldron and two open holes for
nostrils. It stared at them hungrily, and thick, greenish-yellow saliva dripped
in a continuous stream from its muzzle. It was covered from head to foot in
brownish-red fur that was filthy and hanging in smelly dreadlocks. She
recognized it immediately for the mostly-immortal beast that it was, a quintaped,
and thanked the gods that they had the swords they did. Anything that can send
a revenant to the final death should work on the man-eating creature before
them. Hopefully.
"Do you know how to kill it?" She asked Draco under her
breath. He already had his swords drawn and was pushing the two of them back
towards the center of the room so that they'd have more room to maneuver.
"Yes." He said, moving with an inborn grace that had
nothing to do with magic. "Its third heart lies right beneath the skin of
its left shoulder blade. The others are too hard to reach and only a heart shot
will kill it. Because of the swords we carry, any wounds we inflict will slow
it down, but not by much. It has Achilles heels just as humans do, and that is
the next best place to aim for. Its skin is as thick as a whale's but these
blades can cut anything. It is alsite ite fast, even though it doesn't look it."
There was an odd note in his voice as he spoke and it made the hair on the back
of her neck stand up. The creature seemed to be taking its time in reaching
them, and they had finally made it to the center of the room, close to where
they'd encountered his father.
"What are our chances?" She asked him as she drew
Blaise's sword. "Seriously." She added, not wanting him to sugarcoat
it if they were about to die.
"With magic, this would be easier than breathing and we would
already be gone." He said, his predator-like eyes never leaving the
lumbering giant moving towards them. "Without it?" He said nothing
for a few seconds, and when he seemed satisfied that the thing wouldn't reach
them for a good minute yet, he turned to her, pulling her close and looking in
her eyes. "You are good with a blade, ma aimé, but this may be beyond even
my skill, as I will be moving as slow as a mortal. My shapeshifter blood lies
quiet in this room, as does the vampiric. I need a promise from you." He
said, and an ominous feeling filled her gut. ((my love/beloved))
"What?" She asked hesitantly.
"Stay back. I will get you through the door one way or
another. Promise that you'll stay back no matter what and help Blaise. He can't
die. He just can't. Please, do this
for me. I need to know that the two of you will be safe." He said, his
eyes boring into hers. She was almost positive that was the first time she had
really didn't know if she could give her word ometomething like that. He almost
sounded as if he didn't think he'd survive this fight, and that terrified her.
She was saved by answering as the quintaped drew close to them and Draco's
attention was ripped away. He pushed her back with enough force that she
stumbled, before he twisted back around agilely, his blades crossed in front of
him. The creature screamed as it started closing in, and she scooted even
farther back unconsciously.
"Draco-" She started, her voice wavering as fear like
she'd never known crashed through her. Draco's admission of uncertainty threw
her off as nothing else ever had and the ground didn't seem as solid under her
feet.
"Get back."
Draco hissed as the creature drew even with him and swung one massive arm in a
wide arch. He'd been right; the creature, for all its slowness in getting to
them, was surprisingly quick. Draco blocked and the creature's arm slammed into
the flat of his blade. It knocked him to the side and the only reason he didn't
fall was because he leapt with the blow and used the force of the impact to
twist away. His eyes met hers for the briefest millisecond and his words barely
reached her ears through the creature's enraged howl.
"Je t'aime." The words washed over her like a sensuous
whisper and she once again felt like crying. ((I love you))
"Je t'aime aussi." She whispered back as the quintaped
swung again, it's dripping, obviously poisonous claws outstretched. ((I love
you too))
Draco waited until the last second before back flipping away and
swiping down with his sword at the same time. The creature screamed as the
diamond blade sliced through its usually impenetrable hide and dark, greenish
blood began leaking sluggishly out of the wound and matting in its fur. It spun
swiftly and its blow landed true, striking Draco as he found his footing once
more. He flew through the air before slamming into the pliant floor. He sprung
back to his feet almost immediately, although he was favoring his right side
where it had hit him. The quintaped didn't wait, but charged again immediately.
Draco missed the creature slamming into him full-on by less than half a foot.
The creature apparently couldn't stop very fast, and it slipped in
the pile of Lucius's ashes that were still on the floor. It crashed to the
ground, hard, and Draco was on it in a second. His blade cut almost halfway
through the back of one of the quintaped's ankles, slicing easily through the
Achilles tendon. The roar that issued forth from the creature that time was
nearly deafening, and Draco was dancing back out of the way before it was over.
Hauling itself ts fes feet and keeping off the hurt one, it barely seemed to
heed the gushing wound after the initial burst of pain. Fuming, it came at him
slower, its eyes burning and drool practically flowing from its lips. It swung
again and Draco danced backwards, nearing one of the walls.
Another swing, and Draco caught its forearm between the twin
blades of his swords. He leapt and twisted again, doing…something with his wrists, and the blades slid through bone like
butter. One blade stuck and was ripped from his grip, bouncing lightly along
the ground. The creature didn't seem to realize what had happened at first,
which was just as well since Draco slipped in the blood that it had trailed
across the floor. He fell, rolling in one smooth motion to his feet and
ignoring the side that had been hurt earlier. He looked like a cornered, feral
animal and didn't even flinch as the creature bellowed. It picked its own
severed arm up stood stupidly for a moment, trying to put it back where it had
been.
After realizing it was a futile effort, it threw the arm at Draco,
who rolled to the side, staying in a crouched position. It charged again, but
when Draco dodged to the left, it followed his movement in a blur, splattering
blood all over him as it hit him with its bloody stump. He flew backwards again
and landed on his other sword, his head slamming into the hilt with a
gut-wrenching 'crack'. He lay still, not moving a muscle, and
she was sobbing until she felt the tears pouring down her cheeks. As the
creature sped back towards Draco, her feet moved unthinkingly. What happened
next happened so fast tshe she could barely recall it. All she knew was the
quintaped hovering over Draco, its remaining fist rising for a killing blow.
She swung Blaise's blade, putting every ounce of her fear and
rage, despondency and desperation into it, and the next thing she knew, the
creature was crashing to the ground, one of its legs severed as cleanly as its
arm had been. Draco, who had a growing pool of blood spreading from beneath his
head, twisted to the side, his eyes flying open and his arm shooting out. His
blade slid home behind the quintaped's left shoulder blade, sinking in nearly
to the hilt. The creature didn't scream that time, only stiffened, a deep,
gurgling sound rumbling forth from its throat. It twitched and jerked, flailing
around on the ground, and
and dragged him out of the way the best she could. He tried to help her, but he
could barely keep his eyes open and his breathing was irregular and strained.
"Draco?" She asked, her voice croaky. Clearing her
throat was nearly impossible, as it seemed to be clogged with unshed tears.
"Love, please answer me." His eyes fluttered again and a groan
escaped his lips.
"Is it dead?" He asked, his voice so soft she nearly
missed it.
"Yes." She said, the damned tears still falling freely.
"You killed it, cher un. You did it." ((dear one))
"You were supposed to stay back." He whispered, trying
to sit up. She helped him, knowing that even while he was in this condition, it
would be pointless to argue with him.
"I couldn't. Not when I saw you fall. You should have known
that." She said, and then gasped as she saw the damage his sword's hilt
had caused. She could see bone through the split in his skin, and the skull
looked…She was pretty sure that she was about to be sick. How was he even
conscious? Without his healing abilities, she was almost certain the wound
would be fatal. She had to get help, she had to…Wait! They had won! She craned
her head around and saw the bicorn standing over the quintaped's body and
looking at it disgustedly.
"We're leaving." She said, her tone making it clear that
there had better not be any disagreements.
The possible death of one of her boyfriends had been enough to get
her to go into a healing trance when she knew that there was a good chance she
wouldn't make it back. The possible deaths of them both, however, had her ready to face a Deep Lord barehanded if need
be. The bicorn seemed to sense as much, and bowed mockingly in agreement. The
next couple of minutes were spent helping Draco (who refused to be dragged
again) walk to the door that they were supposed to go through. They finally
reached it, but
up in the corner when a tiny piece of pink matter slid down the back of Draco's
neck and through his hair. He didn't seem to feel the wound at all, however, and
his eyes were fever-bright and slightly glazed.
"Draco, love, can you hear me?" She asked when he didn't
so much blink as she grabbed his arm again. His head turned minutely slow, and
his lips twitched, but no sound came forth. He was teetering and she knew she
didn't have much time left. She had to get him out of this gods-forsaken room
so he could him himself. She got them to the doorframe and threw the wooden
door open. There was nothing on the other side but darkness and she had a
moment of confusion before two things happened at once. The darkness began
pulling at them viciously and Draco's voice once more exploded inside her mind.
'No! It's a trap! A portal
straight into the void! It will fill us until we break with the power, turning
our energy against each other! If we go through, we are lost and so is Blaise!'
She began fighting the pull, desperately trying to hold on to the
doorframe and to Draco. He somehow managed to lift a hand a sink claws into the
wood, and she realized the open portal was feeding them a tiny bit of magic if
he was able to do that. Pulling on every bit that she could get, she fought
fiercely to keep them from being drug into that heavy, deadly darkness. She
felt her nails begin to rip off right before they did all together. She was
sucked in, her hand in Draco's the only thing keeping her from going all the
way through. His own claws were ripping out, which was testament to how strong
the suction was, as they could normally carry him and something four times his
weight up the side of a stone wall.
When his claws finally gave under the tremendous pressure, the
last thing they heard before they were sucked through the portal was the
bicorn's gleeful laughter. Then they were twisted and spun, flipped and thrown,
before crashing through what felt like a ward of some sort. Seconds later, a
crushing weight seemed to fall all around her, tightening until air was just a
distant memory. The next thing she knew, she was being frozen from the inside
out and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it. She had lost Draco's
hand somewhere, and the panic swirling in her brain was overwhelming. She could
feel the ice and frost eating away her life piece by piece, and she fleetingly found
it cruel that they were to die by having their own magic turn against one another.
A sudden image bloomed into her mind hnd her soul screamed as she
took in the scene laid before her. Draco was dying, his organs burning up and
bubbling under the skin of his stomach, while his beautiful, flawless flesh was
nearly at the point of liquefying. Blaise was lying next to him, stiff and
lifeless, his chest still and his skin a pasty grayish-blue. Both were bleeding
from their noses, ears, eyes and mouths, but it was slowing as their hearts gradually
stopped. She felt her own begin to beat sluggishly and felt phantom blood
running over her skin as the weight around her constricted even tighter. As the
freezing agony covered her face and seeped into her skull, as the vision that
was worse than any nightmare faded, she sent a single, silent prayer spiraling
into the darkness, into the void.
'Take my life, take my very
soul, but spare the ones I love.'
Then blackness dominated everything and she wasn't aware of the two
other spirits crying out with the same plea before they, too, were sucked under.
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