Losing The Game

~. . .~ song lyrics
\". . .\" talking or quotes from a person, letter, or book
\'. . .\' thoughts


Losing The Game CH 5- What a Slytherin Wants . . . Part Two ~

~ I wish you\'d unclench your fists
And unpack your suitcase
Lately there\'s been too much of this
Don\'t think it\'s too late. ~


Draco left the Ancient Runes classroom with a small smile. He loved this class and found the subject fascinating. It helped quite a bit that he managed to beat Granger for the top spot, it thrilled him to no end to see the look of irritation on her face when the Professor called on him just as often, if not more, then her. He and Millicent were the only Slytherins who had made it into the NEWT level class and they chatted animatedly as they made their way down the hall. Millicent often teased him over his enthusiasm for the subject, saying it brought out his inner Scholar, which he knew to be true but would be damned if he\'d admit to anyone.

\"Malfoy!\"

He turned at the sound of his name and saw Granger coming towards him. He adopted his usual arrogant sneer even though he rarely had the energy for such prejudices as of late, but riling the Mudblood was still his favorite past time.

\"Well, if it isn\'t Gryffindor\'s token Mudblood. Is there some reason you thought it ok to talk to me? Having trouble with your Ancient Runes homework perhaps?\"

He felt himself grin at the look of annoyance on her face. His gaze flicked to Millicent to share in his enjoyment and found her frowning at him slightly. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. \'Girls!\' He thought with disgust.

\"No, Malfoy, I do quite well in case you hadn\'t noticed.\"

\"I didn\'t realize second best was quite well. You Gryffindorks have such low standards.\" He felt a little happy zing as she opened her mouth and then closed it, gritting her teeth. \"Well, what do you want? I don\'t have all bloody day you know.\"

\"I want to talk to you about the bond.\"

His grinned slipped and he glared at Millicent who didn\'t look the slightest bit repentant. \"What do you know about it?\"

\"Just what I\'ve read, I\'d like to talk to you about it, about Harry and what really happened.\"

He spun on his heel and began down the hall, feeling quite put out that the Mudblood had dared mention the bond to him and feeling pissed over the little happy spurt he\'d felt in his belly at the mention of Potter. \"There\'s nothing to talk about, Mudblood, he knows what happened just as well as I do.\"

\"I beg to differ, Malfoy, I don\'t think he DOES know.\"

He felt his annoyance turn to anger as she followed him and kept bloody talking, loudly, so just anyone could hear his business.

\"I refuse to discuss this with you! Go chase down Scarhead and talk his ear off not mine!\"

\"Malfoy! I know you didn\'t rape him! And I know the bond is making you ill! You need to talk to him, tell him the truth.\"

He felt his tiny prickle of pain grow and spread throughout his chest, all because of this stupid girl. He swung around, his face such a mask of rage that she stumbled back a few steps.

\"Look, Granger, I don\'t know what it is you think happened but I am not the one with the problem. I told that stupid git the truth, he didn\'t believe me and threatened my bloody life for it! So, I suggest you take your idiotic, make nice pep talk to him and leave me the hell alone before I hex your teeth back to their original size!\"

\"Draco . . .\" Millicent touched his arm and he jerked away.

\"Piss off, Traitor!\"

He felt a pang at the hurt look on her face but still turned around and marched down the hall once again, deducting points from anyone who got in his way.

Millicent glared at Hermione. \"Draco wasn\'t the \"him\" I meant, Granger. Fix all this or I will hold you responsible if he gets worse.\"

With that said She took her leave, leaving the Gryffindor standing there with her mouth gaping open.

*** *** ***

Harry was not having a good day. He\'d thrown up twice after lunch and had gotten into an argument with Ron over his tendency to belch in Transfigurations. For some reason the burping was almost maddening to him, he\'d burst out in the middle of Professor McGonagall\'s speech on the subletities of the Animagus transformation.

\"Merlin, Ron, do you have to do that so loud? I think they felt the rumble in bloody Argentina!\"

\"Mr.Potter! Ten points from Gryffindor for interrupting my class for the second time this week!\"

Then had come Hermione\'s furious whisper. \"Harry, Ron didn\'t do anything!\"

He\'d stared at Ron who was glaring at him, his ears a deep shade of maroon. After class Ron had yelled at him for the loss of points and for yelling at him over something he had no control over and he wasn\'t burping aloud anyway that it was under his breath! \'I did hear Ron burping out loud, didn\'t I?\' He shook his head and came back to the present as he wandered near the construction site of the new locker rooms.

\"Harry!\"

He looked up and saw Hermione coming towards him with her book bag over one shoulder and a determined look on her face. He groaned internally, knowing he was not going to like whatever she had to say.

\"Hermione.\"

\"You missed dinner again and Ron told me you threw up before Transfigurations.\"

\"I just felt sick to my stomach, I\'m fine now.\"

She just looked at him.\"You\'re not fine, you\'ve done it nearly everyday this week and you\'ve lost weight that you couldn\'t afford to lose in the first place.\"

\"Hermione . . .\"

\"Harry, you\'re not putting me off this time. You have been avoiding discussing what happened here for far too long.\"

\"I don\'t want to talk about this, I just want to be alone, ok? I need to think.\"

\"About Malfoy?\"

Harry felt a ping in that little hollow space inside him, the one the voice came from, the voice that whimpered and pleaded in the dead of night. He hated that voice, it became so loud when all else was quiet but at the same time he felt the presence of others so irritating. The very sound of his friend\'s voices grated on his nerves while hearing Malfoy answering Professor Snape in Potions was like sweet music, it just wasn\'t right.

\"No, Hermione, I was planning on spending my evening NOT thinking of him. I\'ve been trying to figure out a way where I will never have to think of him again.\"

She looked sympathetic but he could still see the twinkle of determination in her brown eyes. \"I know what\'s wrong with you, why you\'ve been so sick. Millicent Bulstrode, of all people, gave me the answers I needed, a book on the Gentilis. Apparently the families who have it are the only ones who have all of the information. I tried to talk to Malfoy of course but he wasn\'t any help at all.\"

He glared at her, anger and a sense of betrayal sparking inside him. \"You talked to him? You went up to the guy who raped me and tried to fucking talk to him? What the bloody hell would you have to say to him except bloody Avada Kedavra?\"

She flinched at the sound of the Killing Curse, but pursed her lips angrily. \"See, I always found that odd, how you keep saying he raped you but you never wanted to tell anyone or do anything about it, that every time Ron mentioned hexing him you\'d get so angry at him. If it had been me I would want vengeance, no matter how or who did it.\"

He scoffed. \"What are you getting at? That I don\'t want him hurt? Rubbish! I want to be the one to hurt him, make him bleed, to feel his neck squeezed under my bare hands.\"

She shook her head. \"I don\'t believe you and I don\'t think you believe what you just said either. Talk to him, about that day, about what really happened because he didn\'t rape you, he couldn\'t have.\"

\"I know what happened! He raped me and forced this fucking bond on me, so he not only raped my body but my magic too!

\'Did he? The dream showed pain yes but there was pleasure too, do you really know what happened?\' A faint kernel of doubt was sown and began to blossom and spread. \'No!\' he thought, squashing that thought down. \'I know what he did! He hurt me, raped me! I couldn\'t have kissed him first because that would mean I fancied him, I that I was . . . I am not a bloody poof! I kissed Cho! So it was odd and weirdly wet cause of her tears but I liked it! I almost got hard, would have if she hadn\'t been all teary and stuff!\' In the middle of his internal rant came a softly arrogant voice, \'Just who are you trying to convince, mate?\'

\"He didn\'t, Harry, he couldn\'t have.\" She took a large green book from out of her bag. \"Your magic bonded, it\'s all in here. The bonds cannot be forced, truly negative energies negate any ability to bond. The Gentilis is positive magic, built on trust, friendship, love and in many cases a healthy dose of lust. That\'s why the most common bonds are between parent and child. You bonded through the sex and blood you shared, through the emotions you felt for one another and you need to renew the bond because it\'s making you both ill!\"

\"No! It\'s not true! He raped me and neither you or some fucking book is going to make me think otherwise! I\'ll be fine!\"

He brushed past her quickly, trying to escape her and the guilty and doubtful thoughts in his head, knocking the book into the dirt. He quickened his steps hearing her behind him. Hermione grabbed hold of his arm but he shook her off.

\"He\'s sick, Harry! He\'s sick and getting sicker everyday! If you would ever just look at him you\'d see it too. It\'s in his eyes and his voice, he\'s slowly dying Harry!\"

He spun around, glaring at her fiercely and for the second time that day a simple look made her nervous enough to back up.

\"Is this where I\'m supposed to care? Because I don\'t! He deserves to die for what he\'s done to me and I\'ll be very happy when he\'s just another maggot riddled corpse in the dirt!\"

CRACK!

Harry stared at Hermione his watering eyes a stormy greyish green with the anger and pain he was feeling. His finger rubbed over the stinging skin of his cheek as she began to talk, her voice quiet but intense.

\"I don\'t EVER want to hear you say anything like that again Harry James Potter! I refuse to let one of my best friends become some unfeeling, delusional asshole! Draco will die if you do not renew the bond, Harry, and so will you if you do not get it into your thick head that he did NOT rape you! You and he are tied to one another now and always will be because apparently you both trust and lust over each other or you wouldn\'t be bonded right now.\" She held out the book again. \"If you would read this then you would understand.\"

He shook his head vehemently in denial and turned to go once again but she kept hold of his sleeve. \"Just read it, Harry. Maybe I missed something or read it wrong. If you read it maybe you can find a way to reverse the bond.\"

He took the book, knowing she wouldn\'t let him go otherwise and strode quickly back into the castle without another word to her. Instead of going up to Gryffindor Tower he made his way up to the Room of Requirement so he could be alone with his roiling emotions. After nearly twenty minute of fevered pacing he gave in and settled onto the couch with the green book in his lap. He ran his fingers lightly over the golden letters on the cover with a large sigh. He opened it and began reading, feeling the tight knot in his stomach ease ever so slightly.


~~~TBC


And another one bites the dust! Thanks to ya\'ll who reviewed this time I hope all ya\'ll\'s questions are answered, if they aren\'t then maybe next time! TY: Queen mAlice, Remi, Ravenfrog, Sophie, Reyn, Crazy Devilish Angel, Chys, Monkey and Yaoi-Dude. Special thanks to Miss Lesley who inspired what the hell to put in the letters. As usual I will post the next chapter when it\'s finished.