Murky Waters

i know i\'ve been off this for a while, and i apologize. i got it in my head that i was going to finish If the Crime Fits the Punishment before this. because after i conclude this story, i have a new one that\'s been rattling about my brain for some time that i\'m anxious to write and share. thank you for your patience.... and my deepest apologies to my bestest friend. i\'m sure she thought that i had completely written this story off, no matter what i said to her......

now, the usual covering of my ass bit..... i\'ve borrowed nearly every thing, except for illiana. she\'s completely made up. every thing else comes from j.k. rowling. i\'ve borrowed lots of her fine creations and wonderful world to fuel my rather pervy imagination.....

there may or may not be smut and raunch in this chapter.... i\'m not entirely certain. we\'ll all find out together.

cameos may be here, as well...... again. never know.

please, read and review.....nicely, if you can manage. thanks ever so much

Chapter Nine: The Bite of the Dragon
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Draco sat on his couch, a tumbler of rum held loosely in one hand. The parchment Kendra had given him before Viktor Krum had shown up at her cottage was held in the other. He stared at what she had written on the paper, her letters neatly formed and precise. It was a rather ingenious spell, called Castimonia. The Purity Spell. He doubted he\'d have been able to find such a spell on his own. Spells had never been his strong suit. Give him a Potion..... well, that was another story.

Illliana had retreated to his bathroom the moment they had stepped into his flat, now almost half an hour ago. The water in the shower had been running nearly the entire time. He had the feeling she was dealing with whatever emotions she was experiencing. He would allow her as much time as she needed, as he was no good with an emotionally unstable woman. He had no idea how to deal with them. So she could stay in the bathroom all day, if that\'s what she wanted. Better for him, as he had no clue on how to comfort a person when they required it.

The spell was rather simple, with a splendidly unique effect. He was now unsure as to whether or not he should cast it on Illiana. Kendra had been right in saying that the woman could well take care of herself. And he was of the mind to believe that his father would not be paying him a visit, so long as the silver haired woman was in his flat. It still pained him to think of the way she had so carelessly squashed Lucius\' pride and joy. Seeing that pale fist shove it\'s self forcefully into his father\'s crotch had made Draco feel a touch green about the gills.

The events that had taken place at Kendra\'s small hut were playing over again and again in his mind, making him doubt the need to use the spell he had gotten from the red head. He had lied about his need for it. Perhaps she had known, perhaps not. But he was now doubting the wisdom of using such a spell on the woman currently occupying his bathroom. It would be rather cruel, and he wasn\'t exactly the same person he\'d once been. Not that he couldn\'t be cruel when the need arose, but he didn\'t do it just because he could anymore. He generally needed a reason. Unlike his father, who felt it was his gods given right to abuse whomever he could.

Draco sighed, folding the parchment up and laying it on the table in front of him. He sipped idly at his rum, his eyes glued to the square of paper. He didn\'t know what he should do. Things were suddenly far more confused than he was used to, what with Illiana moving into his flat. Even if it was a temporary situation. He\'d never had a woman stay with him. None of them had lasted for more than a handful of nights. Now he had a lover practically living with him. It was as unsettling as it was new. He heard the shower go off and had to wonder what would happen when Illiana stepped into the living room with him. Scooping up the parchment, he slipped it into his pocket....

Illiana stepped from the shower, wiped the steam from the mirror, and took a look at herself. She was still shaken by what had happened today at Kendra\'s. Someone could have been hurt. Had it been Kendra, whether intentionally or not, Severus would not have been happy. And then someone really would have gotten hurt. It wouldn\'t have been a very pretty sight at all. It would have been something like a nightmare come true type of sight.

The fact that everyone had assumed that Draco had hit her was frustrating. And that no one would listen to her had royally chapped her ass. It had looked as if it would get hairy in there for a bit, but Snape had surprisingly stepped in and run interference, diverting the possibility of a tragic accident happening. Most disturbing, though, was the way Viktor had reacted. She knew he cared, but his behavior had been inexcusable.

Sighing, she began toweling herself off. His reaction had been far more intense than she would have ever expected from him. She had been afraid that she wouldn\'t have been able to stop him, had he really tried to hurt Draco. He was terribly good with magic, much better than her. Had he really wanted to, Draco would have been reduced to a quivering mass. And none of them would have been able to do anything about it. With possible exception of the Potions Master.

One thing that troubled her was her decided lack of real feelings about Draco. While she hadn\'t wanted to see him hurt at wandpoint, she could now tell that there hadn\'t been a driving sense of urgency spurring her on. She had tried to stop Viktor merely because she and Draco were currently sleeping together. Not out of a sense of deep emotion. She was living with him for a while, sleeping with him for an undefined period of time, yet she felt nothing more for him than a deep lust. She wasn\'t even sure there was a growing friendship between them. At the moment, just a mutual attraction.

She sat heavily on the lowered lid of the toilet. She didn\'t ever want to get her heart mixed up with men and emotions ever again. While it might be a lonely way to live her life, it was by far safer. She had cared deeply for someone once. But he was gone now, and her heart had never fully recovered. She had decided, after the painful lesson she had learned with Karayan, that she would never fully give over her heart to another man ever again.

And so, when she had been chasing Viktor into Hogsmeade and on to Kendra\'s home, she had wondered what she was going to do when they got there. She had wondered why she was not as concerned about Draco as she thought she should have been. Considering she had moved into his flat, however temporary the situation might prove to be, aught she not to have felt something more than what she had? She was beyond confused here, and she had no one to talk to. She\'d pretty much told her best friend to piss off.

She doubted that she\'d be talking with Viktor again. Thinking back on it, she had made it clear to him that she wanted nothing to do with him. He had been hurt, had tried to hide the shock and pain brought on by those hateful words from her, but she knew he was upset over her mention of ending their freindship. The arguement, looking back on it, had been supremely stupid. But she had been upset over the entire series of events. Draco going to see Kendra and Viktor\'s automatic assumption that it had been Draco who had hit her. The two of them were enough to give her cause to stay well away from men for the rest of her life.

Damn, this was all Karayan\'s fault. He was the one responsible for making a mess of her heart and emotions. And she couldn\'t even yell at him for it when she most needed to. It had been some time since she\'d been able to deal with men without her jaded view of the world coloring her opinions. And the only person to blame for that wasn\'t even there.

With a sigh, Illiana stood and reached for her fresh clothes. Dwelling on the past would not be conducive to anything other than more wallowing and more self pity. She had never actually gone in for that sort of thing. She liked to keep her life neat and tidy, to avoid trouble when she could. And sitting in the lavatory, mulling over things she couldn\'t change qualified under the messy, self pity, and more trouble that it was worth columns. She dressed in her most comfortable pair of Muggle jeans and another sweater. Running her brush through her still wet hair, she assessed herself.

All things considered, she looked fine. She supposed it was time to once again face the world. Stepping from the bathroom, she moved silently through Draco\'s still mussed bedroom and out into the living room. The young blonde sat on his couch, a glass of some drink in one hand, a terribly contemplative, lost in deep thoughts look on his face. He was also smirking. Smirking was never a good sign. \'Why did you really go to see Kendra?\' she asked him.

The soft question startled Draco from his musing. He blinked and looked up at Illiana as she stood over him. The expression she wore spoke of a temper getting ready to boil over. He sighed, taking a sip off his rum before answering her. His voice was slow and lazy, as if he didn\'t think the topic of conversation was all that important. \' I told you, I went to apologize to Kendra for what we put her through. After seeing how my Father behaved with you, I was reminded that he really was no better with her. Nor was I,\' he told her.

\'You expect me to believe that bit of tripe?\' she asked, her voice heating with anger. It appeared that today was the day to completely throw any and all releationships she had away at the drop of a hat. The smirk disappeared, becoming a faint frown. One gilded eyebrow rose in silent question. \'Don\'t even consider playing innocent with me. I\'m not a stupid school girl. I do know how the world works. You\'ve thought about the girl far more lately than is necessary. Do you still feel the desire to bed her? Is that why you went over there?\'

\'What kind of a fucking fool do you take me for?\' he exploded, pushing off his seat to stand. The look on his face would have been comical, had she not been so upset. His eyes practically bulged from their sockets, and she had the distinct feeling that he was insulted at the suggestion. \'Do you know even one tenth of what Snape is capable of? The man is one of the best when it comes to curses and hexes. Kendra is nothing next to him. He\'d have me skewered and set out on the wall as an example to anyone else wishing to muscle in on his territory. He has thoroughly claimed the girl as his own. And even if I did want her, she\'s head over heels for him. I told you this last night. Did one night of spent passion addle your brain?\'

\'Don\'t insult me in so base a manner. One night in your arms was not enough to make me forget myself. Please! Don\'t delude yourself. You\'re not that damn good!\' she snapped in irritation. She couldn\'t recall any man ever having called her stupid to her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him.

\'I seem to recall that one time in my arms wasn\'t enough for you. You kept me up half the bloody night. If I\'m not that damn good, then what was the moaning and pleading all about? And, as we\'re on the subject,\' he spat, letting his gaze rake over her in a completely insulting manner. \'Why is it that Viktor felt the need to come avenge your honor? Certainly there isnt any reason for me to question your actions already? I mean, we\'ve only just met and all.\'

\'My relationship with Viktor Krum is none of your affair,\' she hissed. She would be damned if she would allow him to question her friendship with the other man. ~What friendship? You destroyed that earlier.~ She ignored her pesky brain and focused her attention on the bothersome man before her.

\'Well, then you can keep your bloody nose out of my dealings with Kendra. But since you seem to have this overwhelming desire to know, she\'s merely an old school chum. Nothing more, nothing less. I am entitled to pay visits to my old mates, aren\'t I?\' he questioned, not willing to let her know that he\'d never so much as spoken to the girl in school. He had, in fact, barely acknowledged her other than to tease and make fun of her. He\'d not even known who she was when she set foot in his shop.

\'And how many other old *school chums* do you feel the need to fuck and visit?\' she asked, her voice dripping daggers. He glared at her a moment, then crossed his arms over his chest.

\'There are none that you need worry your pretty little head over. As it is, there are plenty of women out there, begging for my attentions. Surely you didn\'t think that you were the only one who wanted a night of unbridled passion with the Dragon?\' The snort she gave at that statement sounded very unladylike. Not to mention painful.

\' I see no such women beating down your door. There are no owls swarming the skies over this place, waiting to deliver the parchments from counltess female admirers, begging your tender touch!\' she retorted.

\' Plenty of women proposition me. I have to practically fight them off when in the shop. I merely decided against offending your tender sensibilities by flaunting them before you. A most excellent idea, if this is the way you would react to them,\' Draco sneered.

\'Like father, like son, I see,\' she tossed in his face.

\' If you are so desperate to find out if I am like my Father, I can invite him back, you know. I\'m sure he would be more than willing to show you the treatment the others have received at our hands. It wasn\'t always so pleasant.\'

\'Are you so afraid that you cannot handle a woman, that you cannot please her, that you must have Daddy come to the rescue?\' she arched a well formed brow at him. \' If you must, by all means. Call Lucius back here. Do not forget he would like to see us married. Perhaps we should have one big fuckfest after the wedding!\'

\' I do not see the dangers of that happening. I cannot imagine any man wanting you enough for marriage. I know I most certainly do not,\' his tone was glacial as he spoke, his eyes gone wintry with his anger. He watched her mouth go into a flat line, compressed in her anger. She glared at him for a few moment, then lifted her lips in a sneer.

\'Fuck! You!\' she snarled at him, then spun on her heel and stormed from the flat. Draco stared after her for several moments, wondering what had brought the entire episode on. He shouldn\'t have needed to argue with her, shouldn\'t have felt as if he needed to defend himself from her barbs and slander. He had attacked her, yes. But out of defense for himself. She had suddenly gone starkers, acting as if he were bound to her or something. The feeling was oddly disconcerting. It had put his nose right out of joint.

He couldn\'t honestly imagine why she had gone off on him like that. His relationship with Kendra, what ever it was or may have been, had nothing to do with Illiana. And he had no intentions of telling her what kind of relationship it was. Let her wonder, if she wanted. Never mind the fact that neither one of them had made any kind of commitment. So far as he knew, this was nothing more than an indulgence for both of them. A way to let off some steam and enjoy some terribly splendid sex. Yet she was being shrewish, acting the role of a sour old fish wife. He didn\'t like it one bit.

Taking a sip from his rum, he pondered her actions and words. Was she under the misguided assumption that this thing between them was more than a brief fling? If so, he would be well advised to convince her otherwise. He was not looking for a wife. He didn\'t want to be saddled with the responsibility of having to look after someone other than himself. Most days, it was hard enough merely looking after himself.

Things were starting to look sticky again. He would have to find some way to rectify the situation. But, for the moment, he needed to concentrate on his rum. The glass was empty and in need of a good refill. He stood up and headed for the bar, fully intent on getting pissed.

~*~*~*~*~

Illiana stared at the bartender, waiting for him to quit gaping at her and fill her request. Really! One would think that no one ever entered the bar and asked for a huge pitcher of what ever was on tap that was the strongest brew he had. It took some time, but he finally brought her a pitcher and a glass. She lifted them up and headed for an empty table in the corner.

The Leaky Cauldron was only half full, even though the hour was growing late. She had found herself standing before the entrance only a few moments ago and decided that she could use with a good strong drink. Or seven. Something to get her mind off the irritating prat she\'d just left. Honestly, she shouldn\'t have let his petty jibes bother her so much, but she just couldn\'t seem to ignore them. The comment about no man wanting her for a wife had been particualrly hard to swallow.

There had been a time when she\'d wanted marriage. When she\'d practically had it in her grasp. But Fate, the cruel, cold hearted bitch the she was, had stepped in and taken the option away from her. It had hurt like hell to have lost that. But she\'d managed to push the pain away. Until Draco had opened his big mouth and made that nasty comment.

So here she sat, in the Leaky Cauldron, preparing to drown her sorrow in a pitcher of clear, cold ale. She poured herself a glass and took a long drink. It went down her throat like fire, burning and choking until it hit her stomach, where it exploded like a Muggle bomb. She coughed a bit, feeling the drink blaze it\'s way into her system. She had to hand it to the bar keep. She had demanded the strongest, and this was, without a doubt, the strongest brew she\'d ever come across.

As the alcoholic brew worked it\'s way into her system, her brain keep replaying the scene from earlier. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that there was something decidedly... devious to the way Draco had been acting. She couldn\'t put her finger on any one thing, but there was something going on that he wasn\'t telling her. She snarled under her breath, working her way through a secnod glass of the ale. Wonderful stuff, what ever it was called...

By her sixth glass, Illiana decided she was pissed. She had ceased being able to feel her fingers and toes by the time she\'d finished the third glass. And now she was quite certain that her head was floating about ten feet above her neck. Potent, indeed. \'Bloody hell! Is that Dragon\'s Bite Ale you\'re drinking?\' Seamus Finnagan asked as he took a seat at the table with Illiana.

She choked on the ale she had been preparing to swallow, but she managed to keep it in her mouth. She imagined that snorting the liquid through her nose would be a pain she had no desire to experience. The name of the brew had to be some god\'s idea of mocking her. There was no other explanation for it. She set her glass down and cast a glance at the Irishman. He looked a little blue, as if he had just gotten the brush off or some bad news. She nodded, still trying to gain her voice back from the near spewage she had almost undergone.

\'Mind if I sit with you?\' he asked, suddenly realizing that he had already done so without asking. Once again she nodded, then signaled the bartender. He brought another pitcher of the ale and a glass for Seamus. She let him catch up with her, sipping the one she had in her glass as he did so with the single minded pleasure of an Irishman giving all he had to his drink.

As the two of them drank their way toward alcohol induced oblivion, they shared their stories with one another. Seamus told of the interesting time he had working for Draco, and some of the things women had done to get the chance for a night in the blonde\'s bed. He also spoke of his own misadventures with the opposite sex. It seemed he was ever the unlucky one when it came to relations of any sort with the female poputation. But he didn\'t seem overly upset about it. In fact, his motto seemed to be along the lines of \'Go with the Flow.\' And he did, from what he said.

He was quick to point out that he did have some luck with the ladies, but no where near on the level the Draco did. She decided she was royally sodding drunk by this time, because she didn\'t feel anything while he spoke about Draco\'s past liasons. She was of a mind to believe it was a good thing. She managed to forget about her problems as Seamus entertained her with tales of his days at Hogwarts and what Draco had been like then. He managed to make her laugh, making her forget her earlier problems as if they hadn\'t existed in the first place.

The patron\'s around them stared at them in confusion, wondering how they could understand one another. The more they drank, the worse their accents became. One spoke with a heavy German accent that seemed to be unnoticed by the Irishman sitting across from her. The Irishman, whose lilt was now getting to the point of painful. They apparently understood one another well enough, as the converstation kept flowing between them.

\'Well, would you look at this?\' Fred Weasley remarked to his mirror image as the twins came to stand next to the table. Both Seamus and Illiana looked up at them, managing something they decided was meant to be a smile. Both red heads sat down, watching the two of them for a moment before George lifted his hand at the man behind the bar. Another round of drinks was brought to the table. Fred and George seemed mildly surprised to find out that the chosen drink of the night was Dragon\'s Bite Ale. But they grinned and poured themselves each a glass.

The more ale that went down, the more the four of them talked. Usually over each other. But everyonce in a while, someone would have the luxury of speaking when no one else was, so they could be heard. One such occasion had George asking if what Illiana had said at the After Games party was true. Had Draco actually won her as a prize? Which lead to another round of everyone talking over everyone else, as they all tried to voice their opinions on the subject. Which was why no one heard her reply.

There was the odd moment when Fred lamented on their lack of permanent female companionship, saying that they had yet to come across a woman who would stay with them. According to the forlorn looking twin, he and his identicle brother were terribly close, and very few people had been able to accept the unusual bond between the two. And that brought up another round of talk that no one heard, because by then they were all beyond three sheets to the wind and were shouting over top of the others.

When the bartender shooed them out of the pub, it was closing time and they were all so drunk, they had to hold onto one another to move. Seamus was giggling madly for no particular reason, while the twins were singing a bawdy little tune at the top of their lungs. The choruses were interspersed with small joke items from the store being shot off. Illiana found the entire situation completely hilarious, for some reason. She laughed heartily, having to pause every once in a while to gulp down huge breaths of air. She decided she was having a good time, and she didn\'t want it to end. Upon telling the three men so, George came out with the notion of going flying.

Somehow, the four of them made it to the Weasley\'s shop, where the twins assured them there would be brooms aplenty for the lot of them. A statement that was proved fact. There were several brooms kept at the shop, and each one of the twin red heads came out carrying two. Fred handed the spare to Illiana, while George gave the other to Seamus. They stepped back out into the night and prepared to take off.

Except Seamus was so completely shit faced, he couldn\'t hang onto the broom stick. When he managed to get a firm grip, he couldn\'t get his leg over it. Fred, George, and Illiana, who had all mounted their own broomsticks, stood there in the dark, laughing at Seamus\' continued failures at properly mounting his broom. Which lead to the inevitable comment about mounting women. To which Seamus blushed and tried all the harder.

When he landed hard on his backside on the sidewalk, Illiana gained enough of her wits to her to suggest that perhaps flying should wait for another time. When they were all sober. The Weasley\'s looked at her as if they had ever heard of such a thing, then nodded when they notcied that Seamus had apparently passed out on the walk in front of their shop. George collected the brooms and took them back inside. When he came back out, the two of them stared at her for a moment, as if wondering what should happen next.

Fred looked at the unconscious Irishman on the walk before them. Taking out his wand, he cast Wingardium Leviosah, lifting Seamus\' prone form and taking him into the shop. He returned moments later, telling them that Seamus was sleeping on a spare cot in the back of the shop.

\' I should probably head back to Draco\'s,\' she sighed, leaning not so casually against the window behind her. \'And I would too, could I find my way back.\'

\'Let us escort you,\' Fred suggested She smiled at him, nodded her consent. They stepped over, one taking his place on either side of her, and linked her arms throught theirs. They avoided converstation as the two of them propelled her forward to her destination, merely enjoyed each other\'s company and the silence of the night around them. It wasn\'t until they stood in front of the front door of the shop that Illiana realized that she didn\'t have a key to the door. She was locked out.

\'Shite!\' she spat, glaring at the door before her. She knew that she could break the wards, should she but try. The problem was, she\'d left so fast, she\'d gone without her wand. She stepped back, looking up to the upper level. A light was still on. Good. Draco was still up, so he could let her in. She stepped up to the door and pounded on it. The effort brought forth a round of groans from the wasted trio.

A light came on in the shop, then she heard the lock turning. The door swung open, and she turned to say good bye to the twins. But she was swinging her head back around, her eyes wide, to see if who she thought she saw was really there. She ignored the way her head swam at the motion. Standing in the open doorway, arms crossed and foot tapping, were her House Elves. Audy and Nixie. And neither one of them looked happy.

\'Double shite!\' she groaned. She was in trouble now.....

end chapter nine.
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my eternal thanks to madam shark, who helped beta and gave me ideas galore. ~hugs~

sorry this was so long in coming........but the pyscho monkey stole my plot! oh wait, there\'s a plot? of course there is, but that\'s not the point..... ok, so the monkey didn\'t steal the plot. i was just lazy! shoot me, why don\'t you? i type my finges to the bone and slave away for you people and this is the thanks i get? i\'m hurt. and i want you to know..... oh, sorry. i was ranting..... never mind

reviews are nice.... please leave me a review, or some constructive criticism..... not flames, unless you can handle the heat..... as i tend to send them back, double strength.