You
Another Battle
"So your House won't ever respect you again?" Huê asks Draco, as they cuddle in the tree. They slept here all night, and woke up only minutes ago.
"Not unless I become as evil and powerful as I can be. But I don't want to." He kisses her hair, hugging her tighter.
"Good." She nuzzles his neck. "So...what does this mean?"
"We could tell everyone everything. But there would be risk. I'm torn between making you happy and keeping you safe."
"I'd rather be happy."
"I know." He sighs and tightens his hold on her yet again.
"Please, can we tell?"
"Fine. But a less than pleasant scene will unfold. People will hate us."
"But we'll have eachother."
He gazes down at Huê, stroking her hair. "That's all I want. Us to be together, all time."
She kisses him softly, and says, "Good". She takes out her wand and conjures a large canvas. "My entry for the competition."
He looks at it for a long time. "But...." He frowns. "I don't look like that."
Huê painted him the way she loves him: smiling, bright, golden, shining. "Yes, you do. When you let yourself."
He stares hard for awhile linger, before looking away. Huê sends it back to a safe place.
"You could lose your friends," Draco says. Especially Bell and the Wayworthys."
"I think they'll be supportive." She doesn't speak in a naively positive tone. She speaks matter-of-factly.
"Huê--"
"Hush. Let's go." She sits up.
Draco sighs. "Yes ma'am." He hoists her up and flies out of the tree.
*^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^*
When Huê and Draco reach the school, he sucks back in his wings, and she conjures him a shirt--long-sleeved and black. Then they walk in, and go to the dining hall. Here, is a cold, terrifying scene. There are students and teachers alike lying on the floor, unconscious. Everyone standing is focused on three figures at one end of the room: a woman, with a large man on either side of her. All but the Slytherin are aiming their wands at the intruders. Those in black and green are aiming at the rest. The woman's eyes flash in Draco's direction.
"Tardy, Draco?" she jokes, with a wicked grin, and the devil's joviality in her eyes.
"Bellatrix," he says. "What is happening?"
"Why, we're here with great news, Draco."
"They've come to claim Voldemort's secret weapon," Dyrdrec says from the center of the room, where he stands with his big brother, Kellan, Gerard, Abby, Krystal, and Ivy.
"You, Draco," says Bellatrix, "will carry out His wishes, lead His army, as you were always meant to do."
Draco stares hard at her, then glances at Huê out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes," the woman says, "you can keep your little Gryffindor pet. You have to in order to survive, right?"
Draco looks at Bellatrix, pulls out his wand. "Right." He steps forward. "What are our orders?"
"We separate the pure from the mud."
"Of course."
"But we do not kill."
"Fine." He looks at Huê, and she feels she could wretch at the look on his face. As if he's really one of them. He holds out a hand, makes a motion with his fingers. "Come."
She glances at her closest friends, who are staring in disbelief. Then she walks to stand at Draco's side.
"Huê!" Ivy snaps, in warning. "I kill one or both of you today. Tell me, are you to die?"
Huê takes a deep breath. "Do what you have to, Ivy."
Gerard and Krystal look hurt. Everyone else looks furious. Ivy looks decided. "Fine." She fires a curse at Huê, and the battle begins.
*^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^*
Lives are lost. Blood is shed. At some point amidst the chaos, Draco gets Huê away from it. They end up somewhere in England, in a hotel room.
"What are we going to do, Draco?! We can't just sit here!"
He sits in a chair, slumped, legs and arms apart, a relaxed position. It occurs to her that he must have been bred that way--to act leisurely even when he wants to rage. "Huê," he says calmly. "If we pretend to be on Voldemort's side, and hiding just to keep safe, then later we can go back and infiltrate under the guise of assisting the Slytherin."
"Oh." She sits down. "You're right."
"I know." He runs a long-fingered hand over his face and hair, then covers his face again.
Huê walks over and sits in his lap. "Draco," she murmurs. He looks up. "Are you okay?" He shakes his head. She hugs him around the neck and kisses his hair. "It's going to be alright. Everything's going to work out for us." She feels him relaxing, but not completely.
Never completely.
When he speaks again, his voice is quiet and scratchy, vulnerable. "What if Severus was caught?"
'Severus.... Right! Snape, his godfather.' "Have faith, Draco. He's really strong." Huê was shocked when Draco told her that Snape was a spy, actually loyal to Dumbledore and against Voldemort.
"Yeah," he says, voice even quieter.
Huê kisses his hair and hugs him tightly, desperately infusing him with positive energy.
"Not unless I become as evil and powerful as I can be. But I don't want to." He kisses her hair, hugging her tighter.
"Good." She nuzzles his neck. "So...what does this mean?"
"We could tell everyone everything. But there would be risk. I'm torn between making you happy and keeping you safe."
"I'd rather be happy."
"I know." He sighs and tightens his hold on her yet again.
"Please, can we tell?"
"Fine. But a less than pleasant scene will unfold. People will hate us."
"But we'll have eachother."
He gazes down at Huê, stroking her hair. "That's all I want. Us to be together, all time."
She kisses him softly, and says, "Good". She takes out her wand and conjures a large canvas. "My entry for the competition."
He looks at it for a long time. "But...." He frowns. "I don't look like that."
Huê painted him the way she loves him: smiling, bright, golden, shining. "Yes, you do. When you let yourself."
He stares hard for awhile linger, before looking away. Huê sends it back to a safe place.
"You could lose your friends," Draco says. Especially Bell and the Wayworthys."
"I think they'll be supportive." She doesn't speak in a naively positive tone. She speaks matter-of-factly.
"Huê--"
"Hush. Let's go." She sits up.
Draco sighs. "Yes ma'am." He hoists her up and flies out of the tree.
*^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^*
When Huê and Draco reach the school, he sucks back in his wings, and she conjures him a shirt--long-sleeved and black. Then they walk in, and go to the dining hall. Here, is a cold, terrifying scene. There are students and teachers alike lying on the floor, unconscious. Everyone standing is focused on three figures at one end of the room: a woman, with a large man on either side of her. All but the Slytherin are aiming their wands at the intruders. Those in black and green are aiming at the rest. The woman's eyes flash in Draco's direction.
"Tardy, Draco?" she jokes, with a wicked grin, and the devil's joviality in her eyes.
"Bellatrix," he says. "What is happening?"
"Why, we're here with great news, Draco."
"They've come to claim Voldemort's secret weapon," Dyrdrec says from the center of the room, where he stands with his big brother, Kellan, Gerard, Abby, Krystal, and Ivy.
"You, Draco," says Bellatrix, "will carry out His wishes, lead His army, as you were always meant to do."
Draco stares hard at her, then glances at Huê out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes," the woman says, "you can keep your little Gryffindor pet. You have to in order to survive, right?"
Draco looks at Bellatrix, pulls out his wand. "Right." He steps forward. "What are our orders?"
"We separate the pure from the mud."
"Of course."
"But we do not kill."
"Fine." He looks at Huê, and she feels she could wretch at the look on his face. As if he's really one of them. He holds out a hand, makes a motion with his fingers. "Come."
She glances at her closest friends, who are staring in disbelief. Then she walks to stand at Draco's side.
"Huê!" Ivy snaps, in warning. "I kill one or both of you today. Tell me, are you to die?"
Huê takes a deep breath. "Do what you have to, Ivy."
Gerard and Krystal look hurt. Everyone else looks furious. Ivy looks decided. "Fine." She fires a curse at Huê, and the battle begins.
*^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^* *^°*•*°^*
Lives are lost. Blood is shed. At some point amidst the chaos, Draco gets Huê away from it. They end up somewhere in England, in a hotel room.
"What are we going to do, Draco?! We can't just sit here!"
He sits in a chair, slumped, legs and arms apart, a relaxed position. It occurs to her that he must have been bred that way--to act leisurely even when he wants to rage. "Huê," he says calmly. "If we pretend to be on Voldemort's side, and hiding just to keep safe, then later we can go back and infiltrate under the guise of assisting the Slytherin."
"Oh." She sits down. "You're right."
"I know." He runs a long-fingered hand over his face and hair, then covers his face again.
Huê walks over and sits in his lap. "Draco," she murmurs. He looks up. "Are you okay?" He shakes his head. She hugs him around the neck and kisses his hair. "It's going to be alright. Everything's going to work out for us." She feels him relaxing, but not completely.
Never completely.
When he speaks again, his voice is quiet and scratchy, vulnerable. "What if Severus was caught?"
'Severus.... Right! Snape, his godfather.' "Have faith, Draco. He's really strong." Huê was shocked when Draco told her that Snape was a spy, actually loyal to Dumbledore and against Voldemort.
"Yeah," he says, voice even quieter.
Huê kisses his hair and hugs him tightly, desperately infusing him with positive energy.