‹ Prequel: The Dark Witch
The Return of the Dark Witch
Mistaken
P.O.V – Draco Malfoy
This was it, there she was, the girl I cared nothing for, absolutely nothing, staring at me with an unusually, for her, calm expression. I felt a twinge of concern shoot through me, I know better than anyone what could lay beyond a 'calm' exterior, plus I didn't like the way she was clutching her side…
"You okay?" I heard myself ask before I could stop myself. I saw her eyebrows lift and I quickly backtracked, "You're no good to me out of sorts after all." I drawled, rising to my feet from the chair I had been lounging on, "It'll already be hard enough to teach you magic as your normal weepy self already."
Maria's pursed her lips, but otherwise said nothing as she began to limp her way over to me.
I frowned, no sarcastic come back? What was wrong with her? I tilted my head slightly, looking her over for wounds as I walked over to her. Still not convinced the limp was the only thing wrong, I placed my hands on her shoulders to steady her, "You sure you're feeling okay?" I asked softly, leaning in close to her as I attempted to move a strand of hair out of her eyes, causing her to leap back away from me, wincing upon impact.
"I'm fine." Replied Maria, sucking in a deep breath as she avoided my eyes.
I looked her over again before replying, "Oh, yeah, completely fine. I've heard limping around in obvious pain is the big new thing this year. Top notch job at it, by the way, I'm sure you'll win a prize."
Maria frowned as she sank down into the nearest armchair, "Very funny." She replied sternly.
I frowned, concerned, as I walked over to her, "What happened?" I asked seriously. If Pansy did this to her…I swear…I thought angrily to myself even as I fought to hide my anger from Maria, "Tell me." I demanded, in the gentlest tone I could summon as I knelt beside her.
Maria blinked at me blankly, before turning her head away from me to look at the fireplace, "Snape." She said, after a moment had past, her voice so soft that, had I not been listening intently, I could have missed it, "I had class with him. He said some things, invoked some memories, proved that I am incapable of performing magic with any skill whatsoever…"
"We'll just have to prove him wrong then." I replied, cutting her off, and drawing her attention back to me, "I'll have people calling you the 'oh powerful Dark Witch' within the week." I smiled, as she giggled, and turned to look away from me. I was glad to be responsible for that laugh, though, I'm startled that she was confiding in me again…after what happened this afternoon…
My mind flashed back to her mysteriously leaving the Slytherin table after seeing me with Pansy. I shuddered internally at remembering Pansy's fawning before another memory brought itself to light…
"I don't give a darn about your little idiot boyfriend."
I frowned, all the old anger at the comment rushing back. What was I doing? Trying to comfort her…she had her wonderful dead husband to do that. I opened my mouth to launch a sarcastic comment, but Maria had already turned back to me, a furious expression to match my own on her face,
"Why are you acting like you care? You're the glorious Parkinson's boyfriend." She snapped angrily, standing up, only to lean back against the chair, using it to take weight off her hurt side.
"And you're the dead Sirius Black's wife." I snarled back, also standing up, so that we were now facing each other. I watched as a hurt expression washed over her features, and I felt a small pang of regret at my words, despite their ring of truth.
"Exactly," Maria replied firmly, though her voice was shaky to my own ears, "Which is why I don't give a darn about you or you me. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." I replied angrily.
I'm not sure which one of us moved in that moment, but suddenly she was in my arms and I was kissing her with everything I had. All of it, all of my anger towards her and the prat Black, at the Dark Lord, my father for putting my family in this position, my fear that I would fail, that I would soon find myself in Maria's predicament desperately trying to save the ones I love, everything. And in return I felt her confusion, about herself, about who she truly was, about her magic, her pain, about her life, what had been done to her and Black, her immense helplessness and her fury because of it. The kiss was purely us, all of us. Nothing was hidden in this moment, we knew everything about the other.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it was all gone and I was left there alone to stare at the sobbing face of Maria Le Fay. I watched as a horrified expression formed on her face as she stared back at me in shock.
"Maria…" I began, my voice still rough from the kiss, but then, just like before, she was gone.
This was it, there she was, the girl I cared nothing for, absolutely nothing, staring at me with an unusually, for her, calm expression. I felt a twinge of concern shoot through me, I know better than anyone what could lay beyond a 'calm' exterior, plus I didn't like the way she was clutching her side…
"You okay?" I heard myself ask before I could stop myself. I saw her eyebrows lift and I quickly backtracked, "You're no good to me out of sorts after all." I drawled, rising to my feet from the chair I had been lounging on, "It'll already be hard enough to teach you magic as your normal weepy self already."
Maria's pursed her lips, but otherwise said nothing as she began to limp her way over to me.
I frowned, no sarcastic come back? What was wrong with her? I tilted my head slightly, looking her over for wounds as I walked over to her. Still not convinced the limp was the only thing wrong, I placed my hands on her shoulders to steady her, "You sure you're feeling okay?" I asked softly, leaning in close to her as I attempted to move a strand of hair out of her eyes, causing her to leap back away from me, wincing upon impact.
"I'm fine." Replied Maria, sucking in a deep breath as she avoided my eyes.
I looked her over again before replying, "Oh, yeah, completely fine. I've heard limping around in obvious pain is the big new thing this year. Top notch job at it, by the way, I'm sure you'll win a prize."
Maria frowned as she sank down into the nearest armchair, "Very funny." She replied sternly.
I frowned, concerned, as I walked over to her, "What happened?" I asked seriously. If Pansy did this to her…I swear…I thought angrily to myself even as I fought to hide my anger from Maria, "Tell me." I demanded, in the gentlest tone I could summon as I knelt beside her.
Maria blinked at me blankly, before turning her head away from me to look at the fireplace, "Snape." She said, after a moment had past, her voice so soft that, had I not been listening intently, I could have missed it, "I had class with him. He said some things, invoked some memories, proved that I am incapable of performing magic with any skill whatsoever…"
"We'll just have to prove him wrong then." I replied, cutting her off, and drawing her attention back to me, "I'll have people calling you the 'oh powerful Dark Witch' within the week." I smiled, as she giggled, and turned to look away from me. I was glad to be responsible for that laugh, though, I'm startled that she was confiding in me again…after what happened this afternoon…
My mind flashed back to her mysteriously leaving the Slytherin table after seeing me with Pansy. I shuddered internally at remembering Pansy's fawning before another memory brought itself to light…
"I don't give a darn about your little idiot boyfriend."
I frowned, all the old anger at the comment rushing back. What was I doing? Trying to comfort her…she had her wonderful dead husband to do that. I opened my mouth to launch a sarcastic comment, but Maria had already turned back to me, a furious expression to match my own on her face,
"Why are you acting like you care? You're the glorious Parkinson's boyfriend." She snapped angrily, standing up, only to lean back against the chair, using it to take weight off her hurt side.
"And you're the dead Sirius Black's wife." I snarled back, also standing up, so that we were now facing each other. I watched as a hurt expression washed over her features, and I felt a small pang of regret at my words, despite their ring of truth.
"Exactly," Maria replied firmly, though her voice was shaky to my own ears, "Which is why I don't give a darn about you or you me. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." I replied angrily.
I'm not sure which one of us moved in that moment, but suddenly she was in my arms and I was kissing her with everything I had. All of it, all of my anger towards her and the prat Black, at the Dark Lord, my father for putting my family in this position, my fear that I would fail, that I would soon find myself in Maria's predicament desperately trying to save the ones I love, everything. And in return I felt her confusion, about herself, about who she truly was, about her magic, her pain, about her life, what had been done to her and Black, her immense helplessness and her fury because of it. The kiss was purely us, all of us. Nothing was hidden in this moment, we knew everything about the other.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it was all gone and I was left there alone to stare at the sobbing face of Maria Le Fay. I watched as a horrified expression formed on her face as she stared back at me in shock.
"Maria…" I began, my voice still rough from the kiss, but then, just like before, she was gone.