Changes of Life

Title: Changes of Life
Chapter: 6
Overall Rating: NC17
Pairing: Harry/Draco, Blaise/Seamus (on the side), others
A/N: (from a while ago) I would like to know something (and maybe this will give me more reviews :-P ) what do you think of Adrian and original characters in general? Thanks in advance if you answer this ^_^
Sorry for how long it’s been. I have joined the army, and that’s why ^_^ But I will still write when I can. I love this story too much to quit writing it forever.

Oh yeah, and slight appearance change…

Much thanks to my reviewers!!! *hands out cookies, coffee, or tea*

Anon: Yes, it’s supposed to be slightly jumbled. Life usually is when it gets complicated and there’s lots you don’t know that you feel you should know.

Thrnbrooke: Awesome review! I got giddy after reading that, I swear! Heh. I say this because I was curious about what questions the readers were getting, and those were all the questions I want my readers to have at this point in the story. So I was very happy that what I was trying to get is happening. Don’t worry though, all questions will be answered “in due time”. I just don’t like writing rushed fanfics. ^_^

A/N: (dated Nov. 12, 2005) Well, I’m back from the army which means I can write again! Oh, I’m so happy to be back and back home where I belong. Anyway, that’s another story. Just had to say that it will never be 7 months or so before another chapter is up, though I am involved in life, so it may take some time, just never that long. So okay, I love this chapter, and hope you love it as much as I did.

Oh yeah, and I tried something different with the visions. (As far as saying who did what. You’ll see what I mean when you read it.) So let me know if you want it that way, or the way it was before.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Same as chapter 1


XXXXXXXXXX

Draco suddenly saw someone appear from the corner of his eye and quickly turned his head to look along the wall at who appeared. “Adrian. What is it this time?” Draco asked, scowling at the intruder.

Adrian had, in fact, made his first appearance to Draco over the summer too. Though they had only talked once before, during a time when Draco couldn’t think about anything but Harry. It was after Harry’s birthday, and Draco was just getting to possibly knowing what could have caused Harry that pain, when Adrian had appeared, interrupting him.

Draco was harder to convince than Harry was, that Adrian meant no harm, and he should be trusted by them. Eventually, Draco did trust him. To an extent. He didn’t like Adrian, but the things he said rang a lot of truth, and should be mostly believed.

“As I have said before, much will yet happen this year. There is much to learn about oneself, each other, certain other people, and past instances. The reality in which you live in is just a fragment of what really is. So much has been hidden from those who need to know. Alliances will break while others will form. That which you thought you knew may turn out to be a lie. All will be found out in due time, though I have something you must think about. It is time you knew.” Adrian took a pause.

Draco waiting for Adrian to continue. It was obvious what he was about to say had some importance. After Adrian still didn’t continue for about a minute, Draco got annoyed. “Well.” He snapped. “Are you going to say what I need to know, or not?”

Silver eyes turned to look directly to the not so brilliant grey eyes. “You, Draco Malfoy, are not only part veela. There’s more to you than you know.”

Draco was silenced by surprise for a bit, until he finally spoke again, adding the cool exterior. “How do you know what I know about myself?” The question was actually useless, as he knew that Adrian did know a lot. The vampire was brilliant. While Draco didn’t like him all that well, he still respected the much older man. Unlike his absolute despise for that incompetent Dumbledore.

Adrian seemed to ignore his question as his eyes continued to bear into Draco’s. Draco shifted a little uncomfortably under the intense stare of the much older man. “What? Will you just tell me already?” He asked, getting annoyed of the silence.

When Adrian spoke, it was with a quiet, but strong voice. One that commanded neither questions nor arguing. “You are ancient. Your being, your existence, goes far beyond the years you consciously know.”

Draco’s reaction to Adrian’s statement was definitely unexpected. He staggered, holding onto the ledge to keep from falling out the open window. The news made him feel light headed, and he could feel the start of a migraine coming on. “I… always thought… there was… something…”

“I take it you know what you are?” Adrian asked, never taking his eyes off of the young blond.

“Yes. Well, no. I mean… I had heard…” Taking a breath, Draco calmed himself some. “There’s something similar. The Tripudiaetas. A race. I didn’t think they existed. Time has no meaning to them. They can make themselves reborn, but their spirit stays the same. But… normally they’d know at the age of 6…” Draco paused again. “Am I… one of them?”

“Yes. You are. And your knowledge on them is correct. I see you have been well informed. Kudos to your mother on that one.”

“Yes. My mother. She…” Draco drifted from talking to remember his mother talking to him. She had started telling him stories of the Tripudiaetas from the time he was two. She always had a warm smile on her face while talking about them, and always gave him curious or inquisitive looks after her stories. As if she was looking for something within him.

Like a shock that went through his body, a thought occurred to Draco. “She knew. Didn’t she?” But before his question could be answered, he knew it was the truth. “She knew who… what I was! How can she know? How could she know before I did? What’s wrong? Why didn’t I know sooner? Why have I still not had my Wakening?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t give me that bull shit Adrian! I know you know!” Draco was becoming more and more temperamental as time went on. “What the fuck happened to me?”

“Life, Draco. That’s all I can say for now. Just life.”

Suddenly engulfed by darkness, Draco reached out as if to grab at Adrian’s robes, but as the darkness lifted, he saw the room was once again occupied only by Harry and himself. “Damnit!” Draco swore out loud and lit up another cigarette to calm his nerves and think about things.

***

“Cissa…”

Within the dark room, lit only by one candle, a pale woman sat in her chair, looking over some markings in a book. At the sound of the voice, she looked up, towards where the sound came from. Seeing only a shadowy outline of the person she stood from her chair. Her voice was soft and quiet as she spoke the single word. “Adrian?”

“Yes…” Adrian stepped forward a little bit, so the candle light played on his features.

The woman started to shake a little bit as she tried her best to control herself. “It’s really you. It’s… been a long time…”

Adrian gave a curt nod. “It has.”

Loosing her self control, the woman threw herself at him, and hugged him tightly, to which he returned, though without as much force as the woman used. The woman spoke again. “Don’t you ever leave me for that long ever again! Do you know what you did to me? Do you know how it was *like* without you? You bastard…” Though she only hugged him tighter.

Adrian held back a small laugh. “Missed you, Cissa. But you know I did have business to attend to.”

Narcissa finally let go of him and gave him a dead serious look. “How did things go? How are things with *him*?”

“Still hard to say…” Adrian looked out the window just as a shadow passed over the moon, but in a second it was gone. “He proceeds closer each day. I hope the boys’ wakening comes soon. It’s been too long as it is.”

Narcissa nodded. “Tell me, Adrian… did you find out the reason to them having not wakened when they were supposed to?”

“Not as of yet.” Adrian looked back to Narcissa, determination and just a little bit of eagerness showing in his features. He took her hands in his, and spoke again. “When the time comes… you must help them, Narcissa.”

Narcissa’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “Why me? Don’t you think…”

“You would be best. One is your son. The other is his lover. Or will be soon enough in this lifetime. And besides, you would know most about it. I am, after all, just a man who was never granted the pleasure of death.”

“Adrian…” Narcissa broke the hold he had on one of her hands and brought it up to his face, to lay just along his jaw, stroking his cheek lightly with her fingertips. She looked up, into his eyes, as he was a few inches taller than her. “At least you have me. I’ll always be here.” She whispered softly to him.

Adrian closed his eyes and turned his head some to kiss the palm of her hand lightly. He whispered back softly to her. “I know, Cissa. Thank you.”


***

Harry walked down a neighborhood he had never before seen. Not a sound could be heard but the sound of his boots against the cobblestone street. Everything was dusted lightly with snow, and Harry noticed he could see his breath. He wore all black. A black turtle neck sweater, black jeans, black boots, black scarf and long black jacket which reached down to his knees. The jacket stayed unbuttoned, so his other clothes could be seen underneath. A dagger was in its sheath, tied to his right thigh.

The neighborhood was deserted. Each house had only one car parked in the driveway. Each house looked familiar to the others in style. Every house was light beige. Neatly trimmed bushes grew in a row on either side of the road, all the way down. Each mailbox was the same black painted metal, with red flag, and wooden post.

Harry stopped and looked to his right.

It was here. What Harry was looking for, whatever it may be, was here. Harry knew, for this house was different from the rest. It would have been the same as all the others, if not for the door. Whereas all the other doors were a plain, solid wood, this door had a design on it. A vine made it way around the edges of the door, and on the lower right hand corner there was an intricately carved dragon, with a sapphire for its eye.

Harry walked up the pathway to the door, and bent down to take a closer look at the dragon, running a finger lightly over the sapphire. Standing back up again, he grabbed his dagger and opened the door. Walking in slowly, he closed, and locked the door behind him. Making no sound, he passed the kitchen, living room, and a bathroom. He arrived at a bedroom and opened the door silently.

Looking in, Harry breathed a sigh of relief at only seeing another man. He had dark blond hair, and silvery green eyes. Harry suddenly realized it was Nathaniel. “Nathan.” He whispered.

“Zack! I was waiting for you.” Nathaniel whispered and stood up from the bed immediately. “You came just in time. We have to go now. They’re not here yet.”

Harry was about to say that he was Harry, not Zachary, but what came out was just a “Good, let’s go. You got everything?” He figured then that it was one of those vision things he had since he’d gotten to the school, and that he should just go with his instinct and what he had to do.

“Yeah, it’s already out.” Nathaniel took Harry’s free hand and pulled him along the hallway. When they got to the very end of the hallway, Nathaniel pushed Harry against the wall, and pressed his lips against the other’s. Harry found himself instantly parting his lips slightly, and Nathaniel passed him a half dissolved hard candy. As soon as Harry tasted the hard candy, he felt colder.

Nathaniel broke off the kiss, and Harry saw they were now outside. In a very dirty and messy alleyway. “Let’s go.”

Harry put his dagger back in his sheath and without too much thinking, wrapped his arms around Nathaniel’s neck and kissed him, licking his lips a bit, to which Nathaniel parted his lips slightly, and Harry deepened the kiss. They parted after about a minute, and Harry brought his lips close to Nathaniel’s ear to whisper. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Zack.” Nathaniel whispered back.

Harry reluctantly let go of Nathaniel and took a step back, to look into his eyes. They shared as look, as if they understood each other without having to say anything. They both hoped they could make it through this, and it was time to go.

Turning, towards the entrance to the alleyway, they both took off at a fast run, jumping over, or avoiding any object that got in their way. When they made it out of the alleyway, it was only just to cross the street before darting into another dark, messy alleyway.

After entering their 6th alleyway, someone opened a back door and pulled both Harry and Nathaniel inside the room, one manicured, with long red nails, hand on one arm from each boy. The person wasn’t ready for the force of which she grabbed them at, and fell over, having both boys topple on top of her. Regaining her bearings quickly, she sat up and immediately shut and locked the door with a wave of her hand.

Harry was the first to stand to his feet, which wasn’t really such a good idea at the sudden dizziness he felt. He fell back to the floor and just sat there.

“Damn, Emily, you could have warned us first.” Nathaniel said, rubbing his head lightly where he must have bumped it, but smiling none the less.

At hearing Nathaniel’s words, something seemed to click in Harry’s brain and he smiled brightly. “Emily!” He launched himself at the pale girl and hugged her tightly.

Nathaniel pushed some of her long, straight black hair out of the way before hugging her from behind. “Are we glad to see you.”

Emily smiled. “Well, after telling me your suspicions I couldn’t just go and let you be caught.”

At hearing what Emily just said, the three of them were brought back to the reality. They were right. Their suspicions were correct. Harry and Nathaniel seemed to sigh at the same time and let go of the girl. Emily just stared down at her hands for a while.

After a minute of Emily staring at her hands, and Harry and Nathaniel looking at each other, each lost in their own thoughts, Emily seemed to straighten up. Pulling her waist long hair into a pony tail, she stood up. “Well, can’t be sitting here forever. They’re certain to find us then.”

Nathaniel was the first to look at her. “Yeah. You’re right…” He said before standing and helping Harry up too. Not like he really needed it, but it was comforting all the same. That they were in this together. As much as he’d wanted Nathaniel to be safe. Even to have Emily safe, but… well, she was different. Said so herself.

“We have to find it. Can’t stay here forever…” Harry said, hand still entwined with Nathaniel’s.

“Yeah…” Emily said, turning her piercing gold eyes to Harry, then to Nathaniel. “But I’m coming with.”

***

Harry opened his eyes, seeing nothing but white. A white ceiling? He would have looked around, but it was morning. The sun shining through the window, and the white of the room just made things seem all that brighter. And Harry felt horrible. Like he was having a hangover. What the hell had happened?

He closed his eyes, groaned, and rolled over, to possibly block out the sun.

“Oh, Harry! You’re awake.” The sound of the thick curtains closing over the window was accompanied by Madame Pomfrey’s voice. “Well good. I have a potion you may like, to help get rid of the headache.” Outside she was calm; inside she was ecstatic that he was up so soon. Harry had only missed the first day of classes.

Harry dared peeking out, relieved to see it was much darker in the room now. “Thanks.” He said and took the potion that was offered to him. He gulped it down, expecting it to be yet another horrible tasting liquid, but surprisingly, it tasted of sugar vanilla cookies. Almost immediately the pounding in his head and faint ringing in his ears left him.

“Well now, that should be better.” Pomfrey spoke again as she started her usual bi-hourly check up. Needless to say, she didn’t get much sleep the last two days.

“Madame Pomfrey, I--” but whatever Draco was about to say as he walked into the room was cut off as he saw Harry sitting on the bed, awake. And now those bright green eyes were on him. Draco refrained from dropping the tray of various fruits and running to Harry, asking if he was okay. Instead he walked over, and set the tray on the nearby table. “You’re awake.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that.” Harry replied, looking over Draco’s face, taking in his features some more, as if memorizing them. Odd, he could have sworn Draco talked to him about something important the other night.

Draco shifted slightly, also thinking about the other night. Did Harry remember anything he said? Could the raven haired boy even hear it? “Are you hungry?”

Harry’s eyes roamed down to Draco’s neck. He could almost see the pulse of blood past the pale, smooth, perfect skin that lay there. Yeah, he was a little hungry, but Draco just seemed like the dessert. The kind you can never get enough of. And he never even drank from the blond.

Draco gave Harry and amused look. “Harry?” Harry’s eyes drifted back to Draco’s eyes at the sound of his name. “There’s fruit here if you are.” Draco mentioned, looking at the fruit.

Harry’s eyes followed where Draco was looking at, to see the tray of fruit. “Oh.” Harry grabbed a plum then. “Thanks.”

Draco smiled slightly and grabbed a peach. He let himself look back at Pomfrey, seeing that she was done with her check up. “Well? Is he okay now?”

“I would prefer if he stayed here for the rest of the morning…” Pomfrey looked at Harry again. “You can leave at lunchtime and make it to your afternoon classes.”

“Didn’t miss too much. Just missed the first day, that was yesterday. Professors just gave an overview of what would happen this year. Though still haven’t met the DADA professor yet. Seems he’s a little late, though I’d say Dumbledore’s having trouble finding another one, after what happened last year.” Draco smirked at remembering that. He didn’t like the old toad. Especially since she’d cause unnecessary pain to Harry. Never had he thought she’d take it so far as to make him write with his own blood.

Harry growled at having to hear Dumbledore’s name, before he took out his week’s schedule. “Well at least DADA is an afternoon class today. Maybe we can find out today.”

Draco nodded before grabbing a strawberry.