Nicole Stevens: Dragons and Deceit

Harry and I had dinner at a French restaurant in Diagon Alley. Afterwards, we headed back to my house.

    We arrived to an empty house, and no lights shone from any of the rooms.

"They've deserted us," I said, referring to my parents.

"It would seem so."

I reached out a hand to turn on the light in the living room, but Harry gently pulled my hand away. "What if we just...don't turn the lights on yet. Would that bother you--" he paused, "Because if you don't like having them off, then I'll turn them on."

A faint smile appeared on his face when I shrugged. "I don't mind it."

"Well...I just...was thinking."

"You seem to do a lot of that."

"Of what?"

"Thinking."

"Mm...right," he replied.

"So what do you want to do?"

Harry reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of my face, letting his finger drag lightly across my cheek as he tucked my hair behind my ear. His breathing was soft, but it was getting harsher as he let his hand linger on my cheek. I closed my eyes, allowing him to lift my chin.

"I--" Harry began. "I love you."

Corniest line in the world.

Shut up, I thought at the voice in my head. It sounded familiar...

"I know; I love you too."

Harry smiled a little, pulling me closer. He bent and let his lips brush lightly over mine. I touched his cheek, before sliding my hand down to his chest. Kissing me more roughly than before, Harry started manoeuvering me towards the couch. His lips locked on mine, and I made a muffled comment.

"Mmprhg...Hmph. Hmnmph. Uph."

Harry pulled away from me slightly. "What?"

"Not--here--no. Can't can't can't..." I stuttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not ready."

Harry frowned, asking, "Why?"

"Because I'm not, that's why!" I snapped.

He looked hurt. "All right. If that's how you feel."

"I said it didn't I?" I retorted.

"Okay," Harry replied. "Whatever. I'm going to bed, then. Obviously you're not in the mood to explain." He left, retreating into the room across from my bedroom.

I threw myself on the couch. Why had I done that? Why had I acted that way? Was I being unreasonably bitchy?

No, the voice in my head replied. He was trying to get you to have sex with him when you aren't ready for it. What you did was right. Besides, you were going to do it on the couch.

Oh shut up already.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lucius shoved Draco back into the stone wall, holding Draco by the shoulders. Lucius was glaring intensely at his son.

"What did you think you were doing?" Lucius hissed. "You spoke without my permission. Have I not properly drilled the rules into your thick head? When I am meeting with my colleagues, you do not speak unless I say so. You do only as I say. Punishment equals obedience--have I not taught you that as well? Speak up, boy. Tell me what I have done to have been cursed with such a fool of a son. Tell me if I have not told you the rules correctly. And while you are telling me all these things, also mention if I should punish you. I would be delighted to hear what you think on the matter." He sounded sarcastic--a faint edge of the kind of sarcasm that I heard so often from Draco.

"No, Father, you have done nothing to warrant my behaviour. I acted rashly, which I regret."

"Oh, you will regret it; I will see to that." Lucius pulled Draco forward from the wall and slammed his head back into it. "Now tell me what punishment is warranted for this type of rulebreaking."

"None, Father," Draco answered, as a trickle of blood dripped down his neck.

Lucius sneered, "Is that so?"

"Yes, Father, it is so."

"I think not," replied Lucius. And with that, he tugged Draco away from the wall and hauled him down the long stone corridor.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I woke in the morning with a mild headache. Probably from crying...I felt so guilty for turning Harry down like that, and then not explaining why I had done it. But what would my explanation have been? Oh, sorry, a little voice in my head is making fun of everything you say. As if. He would think I'm even crazier than I act. Wonderful. Just the affect I want.

I groaned as I realised that I had to go shopping for school supplies today. That meant that I would probably see Draco--a.k.a. Mount St. Helens...or he would be when he saw me. And then, if I was especially unlucky, his father. Oh, his father was bad. Bad with a capital B. Bad. As in not good at all! Hey, but I might get lucky and not see them at all.

And it's not like I have no luck--don't get me wrong--I have plenty of luck, it's just that all of it is bad.

Dressing plainly, I went out into the hall between my room and Harry's. The door was closed. I quietly tiptoed over to it, and turned the handle as quietly as I could. It was locked. Figures. After what I did...well, I couldn't blame him.

"Nicole," I jumped, spinning around and slamming my back against the door. There went cool.

"Harry, I was just--just...oh screw it. I was seeing if you were awake so we could talk about last night."

"Yeah, look--"

"I'm--"

"Really sorry," Harry said.

I gaped. "Why?"

"Well, I should have asked you first and not just...that was wrong of me, and I apologize."

"I'm sorry too. The only reason I...I just wasn't expecting it." Harry nodded and took my hand.

"Next time--if there is a next time--I'll be sure to consult you before I make a move."

"Okay. Anyways, we need to get to Diagon Alley. We still haven't gotten all our school stuff..."

"Right. Why don't you go tell your parents and I'll meet you in the living room?"

"I'll go do that." I grabbed my wand and stuck it in my pocket, before running to the kitchen to tell my parents where I was going. Then I headed into the living room.

Harry took a pot from the mantelpiece and cast some of the fine powder into the fireplace. A green fire sprung up in the grate, and Harry gestured for me to step inside. And then I was whooshed away.

I stepped into the bookshop, surveying the many tomes on the shelves around me. Harry followed, going immediately to the desk where an ancient wizard was reading a book that look almost as old as he did. Harry began naming the books we needed for school, and I nodded at him.

'I'm going to get the rest,' I mouthed at him. He nodded and continued with his list.

Turning around, I headed outside into the busy street.

And suddenly I stopped. Not because I was about to trip over something--but because, at that moment, I saw someone who I had never thought to worry about again.

It was Tom. Not Tom Cruise, not Tom What's-His-Name from school--Tom Riddle. He was in the doorway of a shady-looking shop, leaning against the doorframe. His hair was being swept across his forehead by the wind. And his dark blue eyes were scanning the crowd lazily. I knew that he would find me if I ducked back into the shop. So I did the only think I could think of.

I whimpered, and hurried into a shop that seemed to be an anti-Tom store--a broom shop. Adults and children were milling around the room, examining the expensive Firebolts. My first thought was to go to the back of the shop and hide, but I knew that someone would notice me. So, I headed to the Nimbus section and pretended to be interested in buying one.

"Those are outdated, you know," a voice said behind me.

I turned around, facing the pale-haired boy. "Somnus. Why didn't I guess--and yes, by the way, I do know that the Nimbus is outdated. I'm just...doing a research report on it." Somnus raised his eyebrows. "A report for my flying class. Madam Hooch assigned us homework over the summer. We had to examine a broom."

He nodded, a small smirk playing at his lips. "Of course she did."

"So, anyways, what are you doing in England? Did France get to boring for you?"

"Not really; I'm just watching out for my sisters. Lucius assigned this as my 'job' for a while. Draco wouldn't do it. He even managed to shake Jade off by saying that he had broken his wrist--actually, come to think of it, he did break his wrist. Just as Jade was coming up to him."

I laughed, but Somnus stared at me blankly.

"Oh. You're not joking."

"No, Draco's really that desperate."

"Right. Well, where's Jade then?"

Somnus pointed out the window, where a girl with silvery hair was standing, waving wildly at us.

Great, I thought.

She came in, pushing through the crowd to get to us. "Hello! Nicole, how are you? I'm very well, except that Draco seems to be avoiding me. I just saw him--"

"Wait, Draco's here?" I turned to Somnus, "You didn't say that Draco was here!"

"No," Somnus smirked, "I merely said that he didn't have to look after Jade and Annaliese. He came with his father."

"Oh, now you tell me. Great. Just great. Now I have two--no three people to watch out for!"

"And who would they be?"

"Lucius, Draco, and...someone else." I stopped just before I said Tom's name.

"Whatever."

"Now I'm going. Bye, Somnus. See you later, Jade."

"Okay," Jade replied happily, oblivious to the conversation between her brother and me.

I had to get some new acquaintances.

I was discreet as I stepped out of the shop. Anyone who saw me would probably attract someone's attention. And with my luck, I was not taking any chances.

"Nicole!" a voice called my name. Harry.

I dove into the alleyway, and waited for a few seconds before Harry could make his way over to me.

"Nicole--what were you doing? Why did you run?"

"I...someone pushed me. You finished? Great. Let's go. I can shop some other time, honestly. It's no big deal. Let's go."

"No, we still need to get Potions' supplies. So come on." He took my hand and smiled at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

He nodded and led me through the dense crowd. I kept a sharp eye out for Tom or the Malfoys, but, to my relief, I had no sight of them, though I did see some Hogwarts students.

In the potions store it smelled faintly of rotting fruit and other things that were rather unpleasant to think of. Harry was quick in searching out the supplies, and I could tell that he was as eager as I was to get out of the sickly smelling store. As Harry collected the ingredients, the bell over the door tinkled like a chime. I turned around, and saw the boy I had been desperately worried about confronting. Draco Malfoy.

He was wearing dark trousers and a grey turtleneck that looked rather uncomfortable. Around his shoulders was a heavy velvet cloak with the ever-unpleasant Malfoy crest embroidered on the shoulder. His dark grey eyes swept across the dimly lit room. And then he saw me. I watched--almost in horror--as his eyes suddenly glimmered.

His father followed in after him, also casting a lazy glance around the room. Draco whispered something to his father, which caused Lucius' eyes to narrow. But he finally gave his consent with a quick nod of his head. Draco smirked and slowly came towards me. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a suspicious look.

"If it isn't my favorite Gryffindor," he hissed sarcastically.

"Malfoy," I greeted warily. I could almost hear him think, I really liked 'Draco' better.

"How've you been? I hope no more Death Eaters have assaulted you over your summer break."

"Well, your concern is just heartening. And I've been fine. The only problems I've had with Death Eaters is the reminder that I once consented to becoming one."

"Ah, well. That does sound like a personal problem."

"It is. Now, if you would please tell me why I saw Riddle out in the street, I would be much obliged."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Riddle? Hm...I had no notion that he had returned. Oh, I suppose it just means that you'll have to be a bit more careful when you walk around Diagon Alley."

"Thank you ever so much, Malfoy. You've been so much help." I glanced back at Harry, who, in his hurry to exit the store, had not noticed Draco's entrance. "Now I suppose I must get back to enjoying my summer. Well, enjoying it as much as I ever do."

Draco smirked and turned around, going into the back room that his father had disappeared into. I shivered. As much as I hated to admit it, Lucius gave me the creeps. Even being in the same room as him had given me chills.

Harry was at the counter, paying for our supplies. I went up to him and asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Malfoy? Yes I heard it. You saw Riddle? That's impossible--I got rid of him."

"Well, apparently not. Anyways, let's go. I don't want to see them again."

Harry nodded and we went out, heading to the Leaky Cauldron so we could return home.

-----------------

I stepped onto the train, the steam clouding the air. The train's whistle rang loudly, and I smiled inwardly. I was on my way back to Hogwarts. Even though I was not fond of most of my teachers, I was almost looking forward to being back in the big castle by the lake.

I went to find an empty compartment where I could enjoy what was left of my summer. At least there was a better chance of enjoying myself if I wasn't in danger of being harassed by hateful Slytherins...

Empty compartments were few and far between, but I finally managed to find one at the back of the train. Harry was probably sitting with Hermione and Ron, but that didn't bother me. After all, we'd spent the entire summer together, and Harry hadn't seen his best friends since school let out, although they had been owling each other. And plus, I was desperately longing for some "alone time."

I plopped down on the seat and took a few seconds to enjoy the silence. Silence. Utter, indefinite silence. Which was, of course, broken almost immediately by the sound of two deep voices that were, as far as I could make out, using grunts to communicate. Oh, right. The two boulders--Crabbe and Goyle. Or Grabbe and Coyle, as I liked to think.

So much for silence. I stood and tiptoed over to the compartment door, shutting it as quietly as I could. I didn't want to take any chances; Crabbe and Goyle usually accompanied Draco. And Draco was still on my "People I Want to Avoid" list.

I sat back down, trying to get back to my state of utter silence.

But all of a sudden, the relative silence was broken with a loud crash as my door was suddenly shattered to pieces in a flash of red and green light. I stared in horror at the remains of the door, which were strewn over the floor. Then my gaze was drawn to the girl standing before my door. She had long, black hair that cascaded over her shoulders and down her chest. Her attire was a skimpy black dress, with a heavy velvet cloak. She had her hand outstretched, with one finger poised as if to touch my door--or where it had been. Her other hand was wrapped around something, something silver, and a piece of parchment. The expression she wore was something that told me she was not someone to mess with. Her eyes glittered darkly.

The girl--she looked my age--lowered her hand and delicately stepped into my compartment.

"Who are you?" I asked, glad that my voice partially masked my fear.

"Who I am is not important. You will find out eventually. I have seen it."

"Of course you have. Why are you here?"

"I am here to deliver this." She came to me and gently handed me the parchment and the silver item she had been holding. "Read that," she gestured at the parchment, "and wear that." Upon closer inspection I found that the silver thing was a bracelet.

Then she turned to leave.

"Wait! Who are you?"

"Lelileyvantadurianudu. Inulariaduliwadulaliley," she said, giving me a bright smile. "I told you that you'd find out. But not yet."

And with that, she disappeared in a cloud of fragrant black fog.