Murky Waters

ok.......the characters contained herein, except for those of my own creation.... ie: illiana and kendra, are owned in actuality by j.k. rowling. i am merely sticking my nose in, as well as my characters. i promise to put draco and the Master back where i found them. eventually. someday..... in the not too near future..... really, i will.

cameos will undoubtably be running wild here. possibly the smut, as well. we won\'t know until we get there. just remember, if you like kendra, read *If The Crime Fits The Punishment* if you like illiana, check out her back history by Madam Shark, entitled *Kismet Can Kill*

as always, please review if you like it...... or perhaps some constructive criticism..... no flaming, or i will find you and let the dragons loose. you have been properly warned.

A/N: on the subject of flames, i just received my first one. i have removed it, as i feel the moron who wrote it has no brains or balls. this is what was posted.
* Pffft 2003-08-16 id # 43413
Mary Sue. I hope you DON\'T continue this, if you haven\'t finished the horrid thing already. *
i should think, after a combined 55oo hits on two stories, that someone would have flamed me about a mary sue long before now. this person is obviously looking for a pairing of established characters from the books and should stick to them. if you don\'t like ofc\'s, don\'t read my work. and don\'t flame me because you think it\'s tripe. i will be finishing this story, and should pffft decide to leave another flame, leave an email address so i can flame your ass back. don\'t be chicken shit! and keep an eye out for the dragon. he will find you. i hope you like ketchup. you\'ll be wearing it!

Chapter Eight: Misunderstandings
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Draco groaned, rolling his eyes as he watched Illiana step into the shop at number 93 in Diagon Alley. Weasley\'s Wizarding Wheezies. Precisely where he didn\'t ever intend to go. Even on pain of death. He might have come to terms with the youngest member of the red headed clan of wizards, but that was as far as it went for the moment. He heaved a sigh of suffering, then followed her into the shop.

He wouldn\'t have ever come in here if not for her insistance that they stop in. The two of them had been on their way to The Leaky Cauldron, where they would then enter Muggle London and make for King\'s Cross Station and catch the Hogwart\'s Express. Illiana had to go to Hogwart\'s to retrieve her personal items. All the tents from the Quidditch Expo were to be taken down today. He was happy to know that she would be staying in Britian for an undecided length of time. She would be leaving her things at his flat until she could find a place of her own. That idea was both exciting and terrifying to him at the same time.

He snapped his thoughts back to the present, looking around his as he walked into the shop. The shelves were littered with an assortment of magical jokes and pranks that the twins had developed to sell. Many of them had been tested at the school, on more than half the student body, when they had been students themselves. The interior was decorated with the idea of light hearted prank playing in mind. He found the reason for his being there sandwiched between the duplicate young men. He groaned, knowing he would have to deal with Fred and George before he could get Illiana away from them.

\' I knew I recognized you from somewhere!\' Fred was saying as Draco approached the trio. He held a magazine in his hand, obviously some years old. The page was opened to a picture that showed a group of smiling people wearing Quidditch robes and gear. Each one was holding a broom and a different accoutrement that went with the game. Among them was a familiar face framed by silver hair. She was holding the bat that a Beater carried into the game. \'Dad took the lot of us to an exhibition match that the second string Bulgarian team played against the Montrose Magpies several years back. You were absolutely brutal against them.\'

\' I\'m surprised you would even remember. As I recall, that game was a complete waste of air time. The Magpies were in fine form and did their best to slaughter us. Even though our Seeker caught the Snitch, we still lost by fifty points,\' she admitted. The defeat that game had presented still smarted, even after all this time. Mostly because she hadn\'t been quite up to her normal standards. Personal problems had, despite her attempts to control them, kept interferring with her ability to concentrate.

\'No, Fred is right,\' George chimed in. \' Your playing was more than memorable. We followed your career until you suddenly dropped from the sport. No one could seem to figure out why. Bloody shame, that.\'

\' I had some personal reasons for leaving the team. I really do not wish to discuss them, either,\' she informed them softly. Pain still laced her voice. The memories, though dulled some with time, still hurt too much to think about. \'That\'s not important, though. I came in here not to reminisce, but to see this wonderful joke shop you have.\'

\'And we\'re glad to have you here!\' they both exclaimed together. She smiled at the enthusiastic response the two of them gave her. It felt good to know that she shared something more in common with them than just Quidditch. She loved jokes and pranks, was constantly playing them on her friends. She had been quite the prankster when playing on the second string team in Bulgaria. She was also a subscriber to the Wizarding Wheezies Catalogue. She had ordered several items from them in the past, loving the way everything seemed to work so well, havoc was wreaked on everyone and thing in the prank\'s way.

For a solid ten minutes, the three of them launched into a joke telling session. Each one tried to outdo the other until they were all laughing so hard, tears streamed down their faces. None of them could breathe properly, their hands pressed to their sides as they struggled to make it back onto an even keel. By this time, Draco was well and truly angered. He managed a bland expression, keeping his face neutral as he stepped up beside her. \'Malfoy,\' Fred nodded.

\'Weasleys,\' he replied. He barely bit off the sneer in his voice. He was absolutely pissed to think of how the two red heads interacted with her. As if the three of them belonged together or something. She was here with him, not them. She should damn well pay attention to him. He curled his hand around her arm loosely, inclining his head to the twin jokers. \' I hate to cut this little party short, but you do have to make it back up to the school to reclaim your personal belongings. The ride on the train will be long enough without making us miss it. Then we\'d have to floo, and I know how much you dislike that.\'

\'You could always Apparate to the edge of the grounds,\' George suggested helpfully. Draco scowled at him. George merely grinned back, knowing he was being a great big pain in the arse.

\'Yes, thank you,\' Draco\'s words were clipped. \'Come along, Illiana. We really must be going.\'

\' I\'ll be back. As I\'ll be staying in Britian for some time, I can assure you I\'ll come back to see you again,\' she replied cheerfully, ignoring Draco\'s foul mood. That was something he didn\'t intend to see happen. At least, he would do what he could to prevent it. He wasn\'t entirely certain what was prompting this irrational behavior. He just knew he didn\'t like the way both Fred and George were looking at her. As if she should belong to them or something.

He wanted to grind his teeth, but held back on the impulse. Instead, he thought he might know someone who could help him with this little problem he felt he was having. It was a good thing they were going to Hogwart\'s. He had to pay a visit to someone who was devious. He knew just the person, too.

~*~*~*~*~

As it was, they did end up Apparating to Hogsmeade. Draco urged Illiana to go on up to the school and retrieve her things, telling her he had some business to take care of in the tiny village. She allowed him to walk her to the gates of the school. When she entered, he turned and went back the way he\'d come. He stopped into The Three Broomsticks, knowing that any information he needed could be gotten from Madam Rosemerta, if he only asked the right way. Five minutes later, he was back out in the weak November sunshine, making his way to the end of the lane.

The little cottage that sat at the end of the lane was a quaint looking little dwelling. It was almost blindingly white with it\'s fairly fresh paint. The shutters were a bright green that would most likely match the owner\'s eyes perfectly well. Draco knew that Kendra\'s family had money. Her parents lived in the ancestral castle, and she had always had a new everything every year. He wasn\'t completely sure, but he thought her family might have more money than his. Scary thought, that. So he couldn\'t understand why she would want to live in this little hut.

Shrugging his shoulders, he knocked briskly on the front door. After a few moments, it swung open to reveal the pale face of the woman he was here to seek advice from. Kendra blinked at him a moment or two, then swung the panel wide. \'Draco? What are you doing here?\' she asked, obviously shocked to see him.

\' I need to ask you for some..... advice,\' he told her, not willing to admit he needed help. From anyone. But the woman was brilliant. If she couldn\'t help him, very few people could. She stepped back from the open door way, blinking in surprise at him.

\'Come in, please,\' she invited. He stepped in, noticing the place was very neat and looked rather homey. He moved into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. She stood staring at him, looking a bit uncertain. \'Can I get you something? I think I might have a chocolate frog or two somewhere. And I can pour a mean glass of water.\'

\'Nothing, thank you. Just some advice,\' he shook his head. She stood for a moment longer, then moved over to sit in a near by chair. He watched with silent amusement as she worked to make herself more comfortable. It took several moments of squirming for her to apparently find a more comfortable position.

\'What can I do for you?\' she asked him, stuffing a pillow behind her back.

\' I was wondering if you had any spells you know that are.... umm.... some what devious in nature,\' he said, hating that he sounded distinctly nervous. She smiled at the word devious.

\'Define devious,\' she returned.

\'As you no doubt know, Illiana accompanied me to my London flat last night,\' he began. She nodded, remaining silent. \'Well, I\'m sure it will give you copious amounts of joy to know that she disabled the Primal Lust spell.\'

A faint grin appeared on her lips, but she still said nothing to him. He took it as a sign to go on. With a heavy sigh, he continued his tale. \'This morning, I was summoned to Malfoy Manner. While I was gone, my Father decided to show up. He made more than one attempt to...... \'

\' I see. Being a right prat again, was he?\' her tone sounded less than friendly. That worked perfectly to his advantage. He nodded. \' Is Illiana alright?\'

\'She\'s fine. She didn\'t allow anything to happen. But she openly defied him, and you know how he reacts to that,\' he told her, making sure to keep the gloating from his voice. \' I am concerned now that he will seek retribution. You know how we Malfoys are.\'

\'Yes, I do. What kind of protection do you want, Draco? From the sounds of it, she can take care of herself well enough in the magical area. What else is there?\'

\' I should like to keep him from actually making good on his earlier attempts. I don\'t think she should be forced to....\' he trailed off as she gave him an odd look. \'What?\'

\'You want me to make sure she is kept safe from sexual advances?\' she questioned, her tone filled with disbelief. He nodded slowly. She heaved a sigh, her gaze focusing on the wall behind his head for several moments. She seemed to be deep in thought. Then she was up out of the chair, on her way toward the back of the little house. When she returned moments later, she was carrying a large, leather bound book. She sat on the couch next to him, opening it to one of the pages in the back. \'There is a spell in here that I think is just what you\'re looking for.\'

His curiousity was peaked, merely by listening to the scheming tone in her voice....

~*~*~*~*~

Illiana sighed as she got the last of her trunks and other belongings together. She had changed her clothing, electing for a heavy cable knit sweater in pale blue and a pair of old, worn jeans. She liked her Muggle clothes, found them much more comfortable than robes and a gown. But she wore them only when she knew she would not be attending any sort of establishment that the wizarding world used. As it was, she was prepared to have Hagrid move her things to the rail way station in Hogsmeade, where they would be loaded onto the Hogwart\'s Express, bound for London. Now, she had only to stop in and see Viktor, to tell him she would be staying, before heading back to the village to find Draco. They would then be returning to London and Diagon Alley.

Viktor was outside his now emptied tent. His belongings were stacked neatly along the cloth wall, awaiting their departure. Several students were clustered about him, asking questions and getting autographs signed. He seemed quite happy to chat with the teen agers, answering questions easily. It was a pleasant scene, so she stood back to allow him to bask in the glory of the moment. It was several moments before the students wandered off. She then approached him. \'Viktor, good morning!\' she called.

\'Good morning, Illiana. All is well? I trust things were?....\'he was asking, then his voice trailed off and he stared at her sharply. \'What is that on your cheek?\' he questioned, his tone low and serious.

\'Oh, that,\' her hand flew up to caress the ugly bruise there. She had forgotten about it as she prepared her things. But he was staring at it as if she were diseased. \' It\'s only a bruise. Nothing to worry over.\'

\'Only a bruise? That bastard Malfoy struck you, and you say it is only a bruise?\'

\'Because it is only a bruise,\' she replied, her temper starting to boil. She could manage herself well enough, thank you. She certainly didn\'t need any man doing it for her.

\'He is with you?\' Viktor\'s voice was terribly quiet and even.

\'Yes, I left him in Hogsmeade. But why do you want to know that?\' she put her hands, balled into fists, on her hips. He didn\'t answer, merely turned and stalked away from her in the genreal direction of the school\'s front gates. It took her all of three seconds to realize what he was thinking. Then she was taking off after him.

Viktor stopped into The Three Broomsticks to look for his quarry. A few terse questions of the pub owner got him the information he needed. Illiana trailed behind him, insisting he stop this madness and listen to her. He didn\'t, kept right on marching down the street. She was growing more angry by the moment, knowing he intended to go after the son, instead of the father. If he would but listen, she would tell him who the culprit was. ~Typical man!~ she thought. ~Stubborn and bullheaded. Refuses to listen to anyone!~

Viktor soon stood in front of the door that was painted the same shade of green as the shutters. His fist banged against the frame for a moment or two, then he had his wand out. A quickly muttered curse blew the door off it\'s hinges. Illiana felt a tingle of something surround the house, then she was following Viktor into the small cottage.

~*~*~*~*~

Kendra bolted from her seat on the couch when the door splintered apart. Her wand was out, faster than Draco\'s eyes could track, already pointed at the front door. A large frame filled the opening, then VIktor Krum was lumbering into the room. His wand was drawn, a scowl heavy upon his brow. The tip of his wand swung to point at Draco. Kendra\'s own face took on a scowl, and she stepped between him and the threatening wand. She spoke before anything else could happen, her words rolling out in a flow of heavy brogue. \'What the bloody hell is going on here? What the fuck are ye doing, blowin\' apart m\' door like that?\'

\'Step aside, miss. I have no wish to hurt you. But I\'ll not....\'

\'Just what is going on here?\' a sour voice asked from over Kendra and Draco\'s shoulders. Snape? Here? In the middle of the day? Shouldn\'t he be teaching Potions? \'You are alright, Kendra?\' his tone didn\'t improve as he asked his question.

\'Aye! I\'m bloody fine. I\'ll be even better, should this neanderthal put his bloody wand down and get oot of my home!\' she snapped. The Potions Master stepped forward, moving in front of the pregnant woman wordlessly. She muttered a curse under her breath, then stepped around him.

\'Get back behind me, you silly twit! The man has a wand leveled at your head, in case you hadn\'t noticed!\' Snape exclaimed in exasperation. He drew his wand, holding it lazily in one hand. The tip was pointed carelessly at the biggest threat. The chest of the man across from him.

\'Och, I can see that. `Tis my door the lout blew in! I will deal with this!\' she snapped, then faced the red faced Viktor Krum. \'Didna yer mam ever teach ye that `tis impolite tae blow in someone\'s door. Ye\'ll be replacin\' that, then ye\'ll get the hell oot, or I\'ll be hexing ye until I run oot of curses.\'

\'Do as she says, I beg you. She has a mind like a steel trap, and can retain even the smallest particle of what one would consider useless information. Only to recall it at a later date, and find it useful indeed,\' Snape\'s voice held a hint of pleading that Draco didn\'t think was entirely false.

\'Viktor, you prat!\' Illiana, who had until that moment been ineffectually trying to tug Viktor out the door, stepped around the immobile man into the view of all. Kendra\'s eyes widened when she saw the bruise on the other girl\'s cheek. She swung without warning, her wand now trained on Draco himself.

\'Just what the hell is going on here?\' Snape demanded, his gaze moving from one person to the other. Draco noticed that he let his eyes linger on the bruise marring Illiana\'s cheek for a moment, narrowing at the implications. No one moved or spoke.

\'Kendra, put the wand away,\' Illiana warned, her own wand now drawn. It was pointed right at the back of the red head. Snape\'s eyes narrowed further, his wand moving to rest on the other woman.

\'What did ye do, Malfoy?\' she hissed, ignoring the order from Illiana. Ignoring the fact that there were two wands pointed at her back.

\' I did nothing, I swear. It was my father!\' Draco insisted, his eyes round with the thought that there were three wands pointed at him. Kendra\'s gaze narrowed on him speculatively. It seemed no one was ready to listen to him just yet. It was ironic that it was Snape who came to his defense.

\'Put your wand away, brat. I can vouch that he\'s telling the truth. Lucius was ever the one to bully the women about,\' he sighed, not putting his wand away, but lowering the tip so it pointed harmlessly at the floor. Kendra sighed, slowly lowering her wand, then turned to face Illiana.

\'Draco\'s right. Lucius thought he would make me bend to his will. I proved him wrong.\'

\'How?\' Kendra asked, curious.

\'I punched him right in the balls.\'

Three distinct snorts could be heard. Each man was obviously imagining the feeling. Kendra finally put up her wand. Then it seemed that she recalled what had just happened, because she rounded on Viktor. Her fists were planted on her hips, the scowl back on her face. He was looking distinctly uncomfortable. \' I hope you know a good repairing spell, as you will be returning my door to it\'s previous, unsplintered state!\' she told him angrily.

\' I am sorry,\' he immediately apologized, a flush creeping up into his cheeks.

\'Sorry is not good enough. Repair it this instant!\' she demanded, stamping her foot in aggravation. Snape turned his sour expression on her. She ignored him and continued to stare at Viktor angrily.

\'Right,\' the Potions Master spat, his tone far more hateful that usual. \'Everyone out! Right now! Get out, as I have things,\' he stressed the order heavily. \'With Kendra.\' No one argued, filing slowly out the door. They heard Snape muttering. The splintered door was returned to it\'s rightful condition. Before it was firmly in place, he could be heard yelling. \'What the hell were you thinking, stepping in front of a loaded wand? Are you daft?\'

Viktor, Draco, and Illiana were left standing on the cottage\'s front door step, staring from one to the other with a faint expression of disbelief on their faces. It appeared that things had gotten out of control, leaving them to wonder what they should do now. Viktor spoke first. \' I apologize for my behavior,\' he told no one in particular.

\' It was stupid of you to think that I would be here with Draco if he were the one who hit me,\' Illiana chided, crossing her arms over her chest. She was still angry with the entire situation. Especially the fact that Draco had gone to see Kendra. She wasn\'t sure why he had come to see the red head. But she was certain that no good could come of it.

\' I reacted to the facts I had,\' he defended himself. \'You went off with Malfoy last night.This morning you have a bruise on your face. What was I supposed to think? I knew nothing of his father!\'

\'Well, you should have asked me about it before charging off the way you did. It would have saved alot of grief. Blasting Kendra\'s door like that summoned Snape there. You wouldn\'t have stood a chance against the two of them together. They are rather well versed in curses, I believe,\' she spat at Viktor, the idea of either of the two inside the little cottage making her tone harsher than she had meant it to be.

\' I was concerned about your welfare!\' he shouted. Her jaw clenched as she tried to hold onto her temper. She did not want to be yelling at her friend the way she was. But the events of the past twenty minutes or so had gotten under her skin. She flicked her eyes to Draco, deciding he needed to be part of the shouting match.

\'What the hell were you doing here any way?\' she demanded of him.

\' I came to apologize to Kendra for my deplorable treatment of her,\' he told her. It wasn\'t quite a complete lie, as he\'d said sorry to her in his head. Some time ago. When he had been thinking of what he hadn\'t been allowed to do to her. Best not to tell Illiana that, though. He decided he was in enough trouble as it was. Fortunately, he had a parchment copy of the spell she had told him about tucked safely in his pocket. He would put it to good use. And soon.

\'Come, Illiana,\' Viktor took her hand, ready to pull her back toward the big castle on the other side of the village. \' It is nearly time for us to leave. We will be going back to Bulgaria in a few hour\'s time.\'

\' I\'m not going back to Bulgaria, Viktor. I\'m staying here. I\'ve been asked to,\' she told him. He gave her a stare that told her he couldn\'t believe she would say something so silly to him. Draco was looking at her with a calculating gleam in his eye, wondering who would ask her to stay. Let them both wonder what was wrong with her. She didn\'t care.

\'What do you mean, not going to Bulgaria? Why not? What reason could you have for staying here in this place?\' the tone of his voice on the last words told her what he thought of England. She sighed, wondering if he\'d forgotten her reason for accepting the invitation to join the Exposition teams in the first place.

\' I\'m not going back,\' she returned simply. \' I will stay here. I need to start my life over. England is as good a place as any other. I\'m sorry, but it\'s how I feel.\'

\'But, Illiana!\' Viktor began to protest. \'You.......\'

\' I\'m staying, Viktor. If you cannot accept it, maybe it\'s time to end our friendship,\' the words pained her, but she said them anyway. She took Draco\'s hand in hers, turning for the center of town. \'Come on, Draco. Let\'s go. I\'m ready to go back to London.\'

\'As you wish,\' he nodded, following after her. This had been a very strange, very weird day. It certainly couldn\'t get any worse......

end chapter eight.
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special thanks to Madam Shark. she is a miracle. i love her to death.

hope everyone enjoys this. of course, i\'m sure pffft won\'t, but i think that\'s her loss. not mine.

damn it! someone stole all my chocolate frogs! has anyone seen that god damn psycho monkey? i wonder if he\'d make a good rug?