Alluring Lullaby

Chapter 7 Abandon

“We can’t hide here all day,” Draco whispered for his own benefit as well at Harry’s.

They were lounging on Draco’s forest green silk covered bed, staring up at the intricate plaster worked ceiling. Harry was drawing slow circles on Draco’s bare chest and snickering to himself as the other boy shivered.

“We could actually,” he replied. “Who would stop us?” he added, tracing the lines with his fingertip to extend the length of his torso and caress Draco’s hips.

“My father for one, then there’s mother and let’s not forget that my fiancé is probably still downstairs,” Draco groaned.

“Do you really think she would have waited downstairs for you all this time?” Harry asked, a hint of bitterness in his voice at the mention of the girl Draco was the theoretically marry.

“What time is it?” Draco asked. “It hasn’t been that long.”

“It’s approaching dinnertime,” the Nix mused contentedly.

Draco sat bolt upright in bed and looked out the window. Harry was right; the sun was begging to fade over the horizon of trees. They had been holed up in his room making love all day.

The Nix turned over and followed Draco’s gaze, a soft smile forming on his face as he watched the lovely sunset. “Have you ever seen the sunset over the ocean? It’s like a massive ball of fire being dipped right into the water. It’s the most beautiful thing,” he sighed.

“We’ve been up here for over six hours,” Draco cried, scrambling for the end of the bed and ignoring Harry’s musings. “I’m surprised father didn’t hex the door down when I didn’t show up at lunch.”

“He would have had quite the visual if he had, but your mother is covering for us, no need to worry,” Harry assured him with a casual wave and attempted to pull him back into bed.

Draco paled considerably and his eyes went wide. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing unseemly I assure you,” he replied. “It’s the same ability that allows me to lure people with my music.”

“How is that even remotely the same as mind control?” Draco demanded, angry at his sprite for being so casual about using his mother. “You play the violin, you don’t brainwash them.”

The Nix shook his head sadly and twisted on the bed so that he was lying on his stomach, facing Draco and the end of the bed. “It’s not as simple as that. Everyone has a different musical signature that their body is atoned to. The same melody I would use to attract you would do nothing for other humans aside from sound nice.”

“So then what did you do to my mother?” Draco asked curiously.

“I found her musical signature and I called to it, only with my words instead of my violin,” Harry answered simply and made another grab for his lover.

“When?”

“When we spoke to her earlier. I let her hear in my inflection that I meant you no harm, and that we needed to be alone,” Harry replied, this time moving with a swiftness that Draco could never match, and he deftly wrapped his body around the blonde. “Stay here with me,” he whispered against his ear.

“I really should make an appearance at dinner,” Draco moaned, unable to convince himself to pry his body away from the beautiful and sensual water sprite.

Harry pouted and pulled Draco closer. “And you’d just leave me up here all alone while you dally with your fiancé over dinner?”

“Come with me,” Draco replied, gripping the other boy’s hip roughly.

“And then we come back up here alone?” Harry asked, his black eyebrows raised in suspicion.

Draco ran the tip of his tongue along the Nix’s bottom lip, causing the sprite to shiver. “Right back up here,” he confirmed.

“Deal,” Harry replied and flitted over to his discarded clothing in a blur of flesh and thick black hair.

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As they made their way down the great marble staircase, Draco stopped when he saw his fiancé standing at the bottom of the landing.

“Pansy,” he called.

“I haven’t seen you all day,” she pouted. “Who is this man that has whisked you away from me?”

Draco swallowed thickly at her choice of words, but placed a pale hand on Harry’s shoulder and prepared to introduce him.

“I’m Harry. Harry Potter,” the Nix said, offing his hand for Pansy to place her more delicate one inside and then he raised it to his lips, placing a chaste kiss on it before letting it swiftly drop.

Pansy flushed deeply and curtsied in response. “And Mister Potter, what business did you have with my future husband that took an entire afternoon?”

Harry nearly answered her with truth, wanting the bovine woman to scurry away in tears and leave him and Draco alone, but Draco cleared his throat and answered for him. “We’ve been catching up. Harry’s to be my best man in the wedding.”

Draco could feel more than see the scowl upon Harry’s lips, and could sense the subtle change in his voice as he confirmed Draco’s words.

“Oh dear, I wish I had known. I’ve asked Millicent to be my matron of honor and she’ll look just dreadful next to such a handsome best man,” she cooed.

“You’ve asked Bulstrode the Toad to be in our wedding party?” Draco groaned.

Pansy frowned up at Draco and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. “It’s one thing for me to say something of her looks, I’m her best friend, but quite another for you to poke fun at her. I doubt you even know her,” she huffed and turned promptly to Harry. “Nice to meet you Mr. Potter. I’ll see you both in the dining room,” he added curtly before storming off.

“Did she honestly just reprimand me for doing exactly as she did?” Draco whispered, more to himself then to Harry.

“Seems that way. Aren’t you happy not to be marrying her after all?” the Nix teased.

“What?” Draco asked. “What do you mean?”

Harry’s forehead creased at the reply. “I mean, you’ll have me now, no need for her.”

“I- are you serious?” Draco asked with wide eyes.

“Of course I’m serious,” Harry replied. “What did you think today was about? I sacrificed the wood for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“I chose you over my glade, I chose to be with you rather than live in my spring, which if I remain away it will eventually shorten my lifespan and dissipate my magic,” Harry whispered.

“But that’s – that’s… I never asked you to do that,” Draco responded, feeling shaken and torn.

“You told me you wanted to be with me, this is the only way,” Harry told him firmly.

“But if we stay here, I have to marry Pansy.” Draco told him. “My father will force me.”

“You let your father rule too many of your decisions. When will you see that you are stronger than he is?” Harry asked, his arms folded across his chest, mimicking the way he had seen Pansy get angry just a few moments before.

“I’m not,” Draco protested.

“Then perhaps I should have chosen him after all,” Harry responded and stormed away in the direction Pansy had.

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When Draco arrived at the dinner table, everyone was already seated and his usual place was occupied by Harry, who grinned at him mischievously. Looking at the table, Draco quickly assessed that his options were to sit next to Harry, next to Pansy or beside his father and across from them both, so he chose the latter, trying to ignore Harry’s sparkling green eyes watch him take the path of least resistance.

He caught the nearly imperceptible shake of the head, and could feel the Nix’s disappointment flow off of him like sheets of rain. What he failed to notice right away was the curious look his father was giving their newest guest.

“Mr. Potter is it?” Lucius asked when Draco had taken his seat and the first dish appeared.

Harry stirred his pumpkin soup and nodded. “Harry, sir.”

Lucius shook his head as if in a daze and Draco shot Harry a warning look, trying to keep him from tampering with his father’s mind. “I don’t recall Lily and James having a son who was Draco’s age.”

“Perhaps that is because I’m older then Draco,” Harry mused with a knowing smile.

“How much older?” Narcissa asked. “You don’t look a day over nineteen.”

“You’re very kind, but I assure you I am much older than your son,” Harry replied with a wink.

Narcissa blushed and smiled sweetly. “And were you tutored as well?”

Draco caught the flicker of Harry’s eyes as the sprite considered plucking the answer from his mother’s mind yet again, but instead he just replied with a simple ‘yes’.

Suddenly Draco wished he had sat next to the lovely Nix so that he could make some small physical gesture as thanks for keeping his promise and not invading his family’s minds.

“You seem so familiar,” Lucius whispered, more to himself than to the other guests, though Draco was close enough to have heard it and began to panic slightly.

“You’ve probably seen him in town,” Draco offered. “That was where I met him after all.”

“I’m sure that’s all it is,” Harry confirmed, looking deep into Lucius’s eyes and willing him to believe it.

The elder Malfoy’s forehead creased as he tried to concentrate past the illusion Harry was painting for him. Lucius was being shown a familiar little shop where he tended to buy his pipe weed, and at the same time he approached the door, Harry exited, nodding a polite ‘hello’ and continuing his journey away from the shop.

Lucius blinked several times and shook his head vaguely. “That must be it, I seem to recall you at Timber and Potts,” he said at last, seeming to believe the careful picture Harry had painted in his mind.

“I frequent that shop, yes,” Harry lied with a casual nod.

Sitting beside him, Pansy started drinking from her water glass, but let out a frustrated sob when no water would come out of it. There was clearly water in it, but not a drop would fall into her mouth no mater how high she tipped it, when suddenly, after turning the glass upside down, she found it’s contents soaking her lap.

Harry snickered silently, and even Draco had to stifle a laugh, though he quickly changed it to a frown, which he directed at Harry for his mischief.

“Come dear, we’ll get you all cleaned up,” Narcissa cooed and pulled Pansy from the table and toward her quarters.

“I can’t take much more of this,” Pansy whispered to Draco’s mother. “It seems as if this house is out to get me.”

“Harry, a word in the kitchen,” Draco ordered though gritted teeth. Harry only nodded and followed the boy into the expansive house elf run kitchen.

“What in Merlin’s name do you think you’re doing?” Draco demanded as soon as the door was closed.

“I do nothing in Merlin’s name, what I do is in our name,” Harry offered lightly. He hated the itchy feeling of his human clothes and the fact that Draco kept avoiding a choice made him feel on edge, but he refused to show the ungrateful boy that he was getting to him.

Draco sighed and leaned against a large metal table, rubbing his eyes with his palms. “I’m sorry, this is all so hard,” he admitted.

“I thought you knew what you wanted,” Harry chided. “I thought you wanted me, but now here you are pulling me aside because of a few small pranks at that witch’s expense. Tell me Draco, who do you want, me or her?”

“You, of course you, but it’s not that simple. I have responsibilities as a Malfoy that I can’t just abandon because I love you,” Draco shouted, pleading for Harry to understand.

“Because you see what I abandoned for you as such a paltry thing?” Harry asked, his voice rising like the tide, threatening to sweep Draco under. “Do not mistake my playful nature for idiocy,” he warned. “I have walked this earth for longer then Malfoy’s have existed, longer even than humans have existed. I may not be proficient in the ways of the human heart, but I am not so naïve to see when I am being played for a fool.”

Draco opened his mouth to protest, but no words filled his throat. Harry shook his head and padded to the door. “I’ll be in the guest quarters until you make your decision or until week’s end, whichever comes first.”

With that, the sprite flitted from the room and Draco was left staring at the blank white door and wondering how he could have possibly landed in such a mess.

Authors Note: Because of the move I'm falling slightly behind with my writing. I have no other chapters written after this, but so far the poll has this as one of the favorites right now, so I'll be focusing on trying to catch it up next week. The poll will be open on my yahoo group until Tuesday if anyone else would like to join and vote.