Unsortable

Chapter 3

Rehearsals went under way the next Tuesday and would be every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday nights until the performance. Draco only provided assistance when he and Aerie were alone in their dorm, rarely saying anything during rehearsals. Her frustration with that gave him more reason to instigate her. A few weeks into the rehearsals, though, Draco's carefully cultivated indifference snapped. Aerie had been directing from next to Mark Kinnety and Lydia MacAbee, a fifth year Gryffindor playing Hermia, and she was not being able to convey the romantic vision in her head since both actors were looking at her with confusion. "I need you to be in love with each other!" she was saying. "Mark, I know you can do better than this. Just make it so that your fourth wall is Lydia. Look in her eyes and express that love you showed me at auditions."

She let them try a few lines again, but stopped them within a few words. "Come on, guys," she sighed exasperatedly.

Draco had enough. He hopped up on stage next to Aerie. "The amount of passion you portray wouldn't even turn on a flobberworm," he said to Mark with disdain. "You are supposed to be the lover of Hermia, and thus should know how to treat her. Observe."

He grabbed Aerie around the waist tightly and brought her flush against his body, all the while keeping his tone teaching. Aerie was frozen. He slowly trailed his fingers up the side of her body. "Lysander wants nothing more than to have Hermia as his own, so the audience needs to see it. You don't just say your lines, you caress them over her." He followed the line of Aerie's jaw with fascination. "Drink in every ounce of her, have her melt in the passion of even the lightest touch."

He allowed his other hand to slide up her back to bring her closer, his eyes locked with hers and the entire auditorium silent. "Everyone needs to feel the tension you invoke with every movement."

Draco was beginning to swim in his own words and the feel of Aerie pressed against him, her eyes dark and staring right at him. With a quick movement, they were apart. The tension snapped. "You do that, Kinnety, and I might even say you have talent. MacAbee won't even need to act if you do it properly, she'll just react."

The students were in awe. "You, um, really seem to have experience with this," Mark stuttered, looking between Draco and Aerie.

Keeping his eyes carefully on Mark, Draco replied, "I know how to act." And he went back to his seat, Aerie slowly sitting next to him, her face burning. "Begin the scene again."

"What was that?" Aerie hissed as soon as they were both in their chairs.

Draco smirked in the darkness and placed a hand on her knee. She jumped, but did not move his hand away. "That was the first step at payback for your seductress act a few days ago," he whispered, idly observing the actors onstage. He could practically feel her jaw drop and snickered. What he was not anticipating was her following reaction. She shifted quickly, draping an arm around his shoulders and leaning close to his ear.

"Don't move," she breathed in his ear, gently pushing his hair out of his face with a finger. "No one can see us back here." Indeed, the darkness at the back of the auditorium where they were seated was sufficiently obscuring. She trailed the hand down his face, tracing his lips, and he breathed in sharply. His nerve endings followed her teasing digit across his neck and along his shoulder before she fanned out her hand and felt down his chest. He was sure she could feel his heart race. Her other hand crept into his hair and slowly massaged his scalp. "You already realize what I can do, Draco. Want me to continue? Naughty little things?" Her lips brushed his ear lobe, teeth following in a light graze.

It took every ounce of willpower he had to grab her hand to stop her. "You, my dear, are very tempting." He watched her sit back with a satisfied smirk on her face. "I have no problem admitting that you can be quite sexy when you want to be. I'm afraid that I will not be the first to give in to this temptation."

Her smile glowed in the dark. "Draco Malfoy, you were putty in my very capable hands. If Pansy Parkinson could see you right now, she would hex you into oblivion for lusting after some other woman."

Draco groaned inwardly as Aerie walked back to the stage, where the actors were still working through the scene. "Thank you, everyone! That's it for the night. Same time on Thursday."

Students packed up their things and began to file out of the auditorium. Draco stayed in his seat. What the hell was he thinking? Again and again and again this question kept popping into his head after an exchange with this woman. His father, with a cringe at the thought, would lock him up like he did before for this behavior and have no problem disposing of Aerie. He was being openly respectable to someone not of his class. Parkinson was probably reporting all of this to his father at the moment. Not like his father had had the decency to contact him about anything since the Dumbledore fiasco. Though he was completely outraged with Lucius, Draco knew that nothing would come of it except certain death at the defiance.

The thought of having to get close again to Parkinson made his stomach roll, and he could not think of a single thing to do besides sleep with her to keep her mouth closed about his partner and her existence.

So wrapped up in his mental process was he that he jumped at the hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back to earth, Mr. Malfoy," Aerie giggled. "Flying with the hippogriffs?"

They were the last ones there.

"My soul flies with thestrals, Paulie," he toned.

She rolled her eye. "And we're back to Master Slytherin, friend of no one. Honestly, Draco, it's all right for you to be a normal person with me. I won't tell anyone."

He glared. "I know that. It's what others will see."

She blinked at his response, then stared at him intently. "You're afraid that Parkinson is going to tell your father."

Again shocked at her observation skills, he nodded. "I can't let her. My reputation needs to be maintained."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. She dropped it as soon as they left, for which he was grateful. Neither spoke until they got back to their rooms.

"Your father would kill you, wouldn't he?" she asked as soon as privacy was determined.

Finally accepting that she was smarter than he gave her credit for, he conceded once again.

"And me as well," she stated as if she were talking about nothing more than tomorrow's dinner menu instead of death. "And you feel that unless you appease her--meaning sleep with her--then she's going to run her mouth."

"Yes," he sighed. "How, in the name of Merlin, are you able to determine all of this so easily?"

Aerie shrugged, though Draco thought she looked a little sheepish. "I have an idea, if you're not opposed to being a little devious and horrible."

"Me?" he asked incredulously, dripping in sarcasm. "Why on earth would I ever be like that?"

Aerie laughed, Draco smiled. "Then here is what you'll do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Merlin, Malfoy! Stop messing with me," Aerie seethed just loud enough for Parkinson to hear halfway down the table. She could almost see the girl's radar pop up as her head snapped to them.

"I'm so tired of it," she continued, pretending to glare at Draco as he kept a perfect sneer on his lovely face. "I'm not going to continue to play nice when you so obviously don't care."

"You're right," he growled, Aerie mentally trembled at the sound of it. "I don't care. I put up with you in public because it's proper, but that doesn't mean I have to keep up appearances all the time."

"Fine then." She picked up her books and got up from the table.

Blaise gave her a confused glance, so she winked at him. He immediately got up and followed her.

"Pansy is going to sit with him right at this very moment," he stated quietly as they walked out of the Great Hall.

"And no one else noticed mine and Draco's exchange?" she asked.

"Crabbe and Goyle are too dense to notice anything, and no one else really cares about you two when you talk, except for Pansy."

"Excellent," she breathed with a smile. Looking up at him, she gently touched his sleeve. "I hope you don't mind your part in this. Draco really needs your help making this work so that he doesn't get in trouble. Though he doesn't know you're helping."

Blaise chuckled. "Of course he doesn't know. Draco doesn't want anyone's help."
"Our argument doesn't even seem like one, but I thought it would be enough for Pansy to latch onto."

"She will take any crumb she will get from Draco. But are you sure this will work, Aerie?"

"Never a worry, Blaise. I'm a master at memory charms. I once made my cat think that whenever she heard the number ten, catnip would appear in front of her. I made it last for two months before I felt so bad about it that I lifted the spell. There was never any degradation of the potency of magic. I know my stuff."

"Then I leave it to you," he said, stopping them both in front of her portrait hole. "Don't feel the need to alter my memory, Aerie. I wouldn't tell Lucius anything about his son because I can't stand him. My parents may not be great, but they are nothing in comparison."

Aerie believed him. He reeked of honesty and loyalty for his friend. She did not even have to try and pry into him for the truth. "I know that, Blaise. He did well, choosing you as a friend."

He smiled at her, lifting her hand to his lips. "You are good for him, Aerie. I know you have your own secrets, but you are what he needs in this world."

She inwardly cringed. Soared and cringed simultaneously. She did not let it show as she opened the portrait hole. "Thank you."

Draco came in fifteen minutes later, looking perfectly disgusted. Aerie laughed, making him turn to see her at the table. "It's done," he sighed, dropping his bag and sitting on the corner next to her. "It didn't take much for me to convince her to meet with me. Astronomy Tower, just as you requested. Are you sure you don't want me there?"

She nodded, resting her cheek on her hand as she looked up at him. He was looking a little more disheveled of late, she observed, with his hair falling in his eyes. "I can't make her believe the memory I'm giving her if there is someone there to provide a contradiction with their presence."

She went back to the essay she was working on for Herbology. Finishing off the sentence she had not completed and still finding that Draco had not moved, she glanced up at him to find him staring. His slate eyes softened slightly at contact. She gulped discreetly.

"Thank you, Aeridia," he said.

The purpose in her heart solidified, "You're welcome."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aerie sat in the darkest corner of the Astronomy Tower, waiting as Parkinson settled herself on the bed that she had conjured. It was highly amusing, watching this girl primp herself as becomingly as possible for a man who did not have any inclination of showing up. Even when she did not like Parkinson at all, Aerie still felt guilty with what she was about to do.

That did not stop her from completing the mission.

Waving a hand, a chair appeared beside the bed. Parkinson's face lit up at the sight. "I knew you would already be here, Drakie," she sighed.

Aerie stepped out of the corner. "I'm not Draco. And he is not coming."

Parkinson's features contorted with anger. "You. What have you done with Draco?"

"Nothing," Aerie replied with a shrug, twisting her hand. With a shriek, Pansy flew into the chair, bonds quickly wrapping her tightly to it. "But you and I have some talking to do."

"I have nothing to say to you, bitch," Pansy spat, struggling and accomplishing nothing.

Aerie waved her hand again, silencing the room and brought another chair to face the bound girl. "Unfortunately for you, you don't have a choice. My objective is to get you to tell me what your plans are for Draco with regards to the Dark Lord. We can make this easy, or you can make this difficult. Either way, you are not leaving until I get the information I have come for."

Pansy's pug-like face closed further. "Are you some kind of spy?"

"No," Aerie replied. "I'm doing this at the request of Dumbledore before he died and Draco's mother. I'm here to protect Draco."

"How is that possible? You can't be any older than us. You can't know more than the Dark Lord has taught us!"

"I know different things than your master would never even think to be possible. Dumbledore has been training me in America for years to be what I am now."

Pansy snickered. z "Good thing that old crotch is dead."

Aerie flicked her fingers. Pansy screamed in pain as blood rushed down her cheek from a cut Aerie had just inflicted. "Dumbledore was a great man."

"How the hell do you do magic without a wand?" the girl panted.

Another twist of the wrist and the wound vanished. The girl felt it and stared at Aerie is undisguised fear. "Like I said, I was trained. That was illusion magic. No cut actually appeared; you only think it did because I planted the pain in your head and the illusion on your face. But now it's time for me to ask the questions. Veritas!"

With a grunt of pain, Pansy choked. The spell Aerie had implemented acted like a truth serum, with added pain. It literally forced the truth from the person with whatever question the user asked.

"Let's make sure this works," Aerie started casually, lounging back in her chair. "What is your name?"

The girl snapped her mouth shut and moaned.

"If you keep fighting, it will only get worse. Name?"

"Pansy Parkinson," she gasped out, followed by a whimper.

"Good. Why did you come here tonight?"

"I was meeting with Draco. He and I were going to finally have sex like he has been promising me."

Aerie raised a brow. "You haven't slept together yet?"

Pansy tried not to answer, horrified that she was doing this. "No," she whispered a moment later.

"Why are you always following him around?"

This time, Pansy really gave a fight. Tearing streaming down her face at the pain in her chest and head from the spell, Aerie bided her time.

"I was told to."

Aerie smiled. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Who told you to and what were you supposed to be watching?"

"Lucius was having me keep an eye on Draco's behavior here at school to make sure that he was behaving like he had been commanded. I was giving weekly reports at the Malfoy Manor, directly to Lucius. He will not like what I have to say about this week. Better watch your back. Lucius is getting angry with Draco. You won't be living much longer, though you're a pureblood."

"Are you getting paid for this, Pansy? You can't be doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

Pansy actually blushed at this question. "No, I'm not getting paid."

"Then what are you getting?"

She exploded, "What Draco hasn't been giving me! I follow him around, waiting on his every whim, and he treats me with the same disdain as everyone else. Now you have come along and suddenly he is human! He smiles at you. Really smiles! I have never gotten that. Lucius understands me. Says Draco is just like him. That it takes time to break his son's shell. I can do it, Lucius tells me. I could do it with him."

Aerie had a sick feeling in her stomach. "What does Lucius give you?"

"Sex," Pansy snickered, "Glorious sex that his son hasn't even had! You know that for all he talks, Draco has never slept with anyone. I plan on being that first person. Tonight was to be the night! Lucius was right when he said that I needed to learn a few things about seducing. So he taught them to me. To use so that I would have control over Draco. Draco will be mine. Lucius said so. Mine!"

"Dear God," Aerie muttered in horror. This was too much. Lucius was taking control over a minor to keep tabs on his son. "Listen to me, Parkinson."

"I don't have to listen to anything you say, Matthews," she snapped.

"I've had enough of this tonight." She squeezed her hand and ended the truth spell. "I can't help you since you have been so thoroughly corrupted already. I'm just going to do what I can for Draco. Obliviate!"

Pansy's manic face slacked into a trance.

Her voice shaking, Aerie laid out the plan she had concocted with Draco. "You came here tonight, meeting with Draco to finally consummate your relationship. You both decided to keep this between you because Draco's reputation depends on him being a ladies' man. But you know different. He made all of your wildest dreams come true since he is as good in bed as he boasts." Here, Aerie grimaced, now having to lay out the details. Draco had had a huge laugh over this earlier that day. "You like to play rough, so you tie him to the bed, taking pleasure in slowly torturing every bit of his body before you ride him. What you didn't expect was for him to break free of his bonds and take control over you. He makes you orgasm twice before he is complete. Leaving you on the bed, he pulls his clothes back on, promises you another night such as this in the future. You lay there a few minutes longer before heading back down to your own room."

The look on Pansy's face was too happy and blissful.

"You know that you have to keep this to yourself. You will tell Lucius all that has happened, but will reassure him that he is better than his son. You will not remember ever seeing me; you will continue to hate me. But you will keep your sexcapades to yourself. Understood?"

Pansy nodded dreamily. Aerie removed the binding with a flick and Pansy climbed on the bed still in the trance.

Aerie walked away without a backwards glance, knowing she did well.

She walked into the suite with a sigh. "You were gone an awfully long time," a deep voice said inches away.

She jumped and whirled to see Draco sitting on the floor by the door, looking for the entire world like he did this often; which he might, for all Aerie knew. But the designer jeans did not appear to be meant for that kind of lounging. He got up in one graceful movement and she unconsciously backed into the door. Putting a smile on her face, she lightly punched his arm. "Miss me too much?"

He did not answer, just placed a hand against the door beside her head.

"Don't worry. She believes you both had a glorious night together. Expect to have gooey eyes made at you all day for the next few days." She made to move, but he boxed her in with his other hand.

Aerie's heart began to pound; she mentally cursed her teenage hormones. "Are you not breaking your own rules here, Draco? Fraternizing with the enemy?" she asked in a tone of insouciance as her insides melted at the searching gaze he was inflicting. Stronger than any spell, his gray eyes pulled her in better than a love potion.

He pushed away reluctantly and stalked around the room.

"You keep looking at me like that, Mr. Malfoy, and I might start thinking you have feelings for me."

She meant it in jest, but his suddenly frozen form across the living room caused her breath to catch.

"Malfoys don't have feelings," he muttered after a moment, so low, she almost did not hear it.

Yet she did, and her temper flared. Raising her hand and forcing it in a fist, she was rewarded with a shout as Draco flew from his stance to land in an undignified flop on the couch. Aerie loomed over him, glaring down into his wary face. "That, my dear, is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard! I don't give a fat rat's ass if you actually have feelings for me or not, but I will not stand by and allow you to belittle your human qualities. Just because your father doesn't have true feelings for anyone or anything, does not mean that you are his clone. You have feelings, you are entitled to them, and I will not let you make declarations to the contrary when you are around me! Put on a damn face for the rest of the world, but I would think that after living with me for two months now, you would know better. That. Makes. Me. Furious!"

Giving him a shove in the chest in a juvenile show of good measure, she stomped away from the taken aback, prone man on the couch. Sudden laughter made her stop.

He was laughing. She glanced over her shoulder to a heart-stirring sight of Draco doubled over, his deep laughter bubbling over and making him cry from the intensity of it. Aerie's anger evaporated as quickly as it had started and she unwillingly smiled. Taking a seat at the table nearby, she watched in happy wonder as Draco slowly pulled himself together.

A few moments later and deep breath, Draco was up and moving to join Aerie, who was staring at him in a daze. She shook her head at him in amazement.

He was still smiling, which was doing nothing for her focus. "I don't think I have had anyone literally stamp their foot in anger at me or poke me in the chest with such vehemence," he chuckled, eyes completely alight in their mirth. Aerie was reminded of sterling silver. "I commend you for providing that elegant little display of childishness."

Aerie crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh again. "Glad that I could amuse you, Draco. I still stand by what I said, but I will forgive you because you've relaxed enough to laugh."

Lounging back in his chair and kicking his feet up on the table he said, "I don't know when was the last time I laughed that much. But explain to me what a clone is."

Aerie blinked. "What?"

"You said that I wasn't a clone of my father. What is that?"

She laughed out loud. "It's a Muggle term meaning an exact replica of another. I'm a blood traitor, remember? I was pretty immersed in the pop culture references of American Muggles."

"That's why I'm not associating myself with you outside of these rooms," he said and winked.

Aerie's mind whirled. "Of course." She yawned. "Well, Draco, I'm going to head to bed. It's late and I'm wiped out from the memory alterations."

He stood with her and followed her to her bedroom door. She stood there, wondering what it was that he wanted to say as his expression was clearly torn. After a few moments of nothing, she sighed, "Good night, Draco."

Moving to close the door, she was stopped by his hand. "I find," he started slowly, looking past her shoulder, "that I feel strangely indebted to you. I don't particularly like that feeling, but there it is. Expect some form of reciprocity."

"I hope not," she replied, "because that would mean that I was in trouble. But you're welcome regardless. Now go to bed."

He nodded distractedly and turned around to walk the three steps to his room. "Good night."

With a bemused shake of the head, Aerie closed her door. Definite progress made this evening, she thought with happiness. His mother would be tremendously happy to hear that. Moving to her desk with an intention of writing to her at that moment, she stopped when she saw a severe looking letter sitting precisely in the middle of her blotter with nothing written on the envelope.

Reaching out a hand tentatively, the second her finger touched a corner it ripped open and writing appeared across the parchment. She stepped closer to read it.

Aeridia Matthews,

We must talk. Tomorrow night meet me in the Room of Requirement 9pm.

Severus Snape

"Oh shit," Aerie paled.