A Powerful and Painful Addiction

Chapter 1: It's About Time

Setting: Diagon Alley

"Sean, Sean look who I finally found," said Noelle McGill with an immense amount of excitement. Sean McGill turned around in a small circle in the unusually crowded store, Flourish and Blotts, to see his wife walking with his old school friends, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

"Lucius, Narcissa," Sean exclaimed, "it's wonderful to finally see you!" He hugged Narcissa warmly, before engaging in a strong handshake with Lucius.

"I never thought I would see the day when you would return. I must say it's been far, far too long. I am sure that there must be events we must catch up on," said Lucius with curiosity. "So what brings you back to England?"

"I was offered a chance to work at the Ministry that Noelle told me I shouldn't refuse, and felt that Hogwarts would be a nice change for my daughter."

"You have a daughter?" queried Lucius.

"Speaking of Joely," Noelle interjected, "where is she, Sean?" Sean was about to reply but was halted.

"Ah, there you are, Draco?"

Sean and Noelle both turned from their positions facing the deeper interior of the store to see a boy who looked remarkably like Lucius, nearly identical. The fine, silver blonde locks of hair and gray eyes where dead giveaways of the relation. But Draco's eyes had a hidden glow that could only belong to Narcissa. After all, when would Lucius have ever grown a glow in his eyes? He even had the walk and stance that stated wealth and power that Sean knew could belong to no one else but a Malfoy.

"Draco, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Sean McGill and his gorgeous wife Noelle," Lucius stated with a smirk on his face that was very shortly followed by a SMACK on his arm; which had been conducted by Narcissa, who couldn't help but laugh at her actions. Lucius secured his place in her bed that night by simply replying, "You know you're the only woman for me, love."

Sean and Draco exchange a strong handshake and he lightly placed a kiss on Mrs. McGill's hand that made Noelle respond with a smile and say, "My, my, what a gentleman you both have raised."

An intriguing conversation regarding all that had happened since Sean's departure or as Lucius like to refer to it as his "foolish escape", and what was going on currently in the wizarding world of England was commencing into a full out laugh fest when suddenly -

"Oh gods, Sean where is Joely?" Noelle asked with immense worry in her tone. "How many times have I told you NOT to leave her alone in a bookstore?" Noelle searched in every possible direction imaginable, occasionally craning her neck in twisted and near impossible positions with panic.

"I'm right here, mother!"

Noelle arched her neck again to look up and see Joely leaning against the banister at the top of the stairs.

Joely had always found it humorous that her mom would worry about her even when they were in the same store together. She started her descent down the stairs and heard the words "Thank the gods!" in a tuned out voice because she was occupied by the image of a rather attractive male. She could feel the drool begin to puddle under her tongue.

Even in his loose clothing, his muscular strength was evident. His chest sculpted; his arms strong but not overbearing. His hair was a silver blonde color that reflected the sunlight and framed his face with a gentle touch. His gray eyes were steely and somewhat harsh. She could feel them piercing her body right through her flesh to her heart and soul. Even through the gray, expensive looking slacks she could tell he had nice legs, but was more occupied with, Mmm, I wonder if he wears boxers, or briefs! Must be boxers, gotta be boxers, yeah that's it, she smirked to herself. She always did have a quirky mind. She saved the most amazing and luscious part of him for last. There was no simpler way to say it...his lips seared her. They were the perfect shade of pink next to his fare and slightly pale skin. The shape and poutiness were lust worthy.

Her skin was a golden color that could easily be connected with her mother's genes. Her hair was a light brown that bordered on dirty blonde connecting her to her father. The color of her eyes made his heart skip a beat. She was causing flips and anxiety in his stomach that was normally only felt before and during a strategic and well played game of Quidditch. She had the curves he sought, the ones that went with her shapely legs. Ah, yes, legs, Draco's favorite part of the female anatomy other then a nice toned abdominal area. Draco could just imagine those legs being wrapped around, Wait a minute, Draco mentally slapped himself. I don't even know this girl and already I'm thinking about...

Draco's thoughts on that pressing matter, were interrupted when she walked right passed him toward her father, but took a second look at him. He turned and faced the bookcase by the landing in hopes of portraying a customer looking interested in a book nearby his position. He felt embarrassed and yet wounded that he had been so easily turned away from.

"Draco," said Lucius, come over and meet Sean and Noelle's daughter," he said motioning with his hand before giving the floor a hard hit with his cane.

What is going on with you Malfoy? he said to himself not knowing if he was thinking aloud or not. His thoughts were suddenly put to a halt when he took note of the rise in temperature behind him. He felt the anxious tension that sent your body signals to perspire. He could feel it welling up on his brow and through the back of his shirt. Damn, the tingle in his stomach was back. Draco had to steady himself by placing one hand on the bookcase while the other swipe the sweat from his temple, the heat was overpowering him.

He felt the sensation of his once strong knees, beginning to feel weak. As if sensing his state of not only nervousness but weakness as well, a scent filled his nose that was so intoxicating and so heavenly that he closed his eyes forcing it eternally into his memory which was now blank. He never saw or felt the small 5'4 frame sneak under his balancing arm. When he opened his eyes he felt relieved of everything weighing on him and thought that he possibly looked like a fool. The one that had passed him by so easily and nonchalantly was now confronting him.

"Hi, I'm Joely," she said as she offered him her hand to shake his.

Stay cool Draco, pull yourself together. You probably look like a squib trying to learn magic, i.e. an idiot, he thought to himself. He could mentally see the monkey with the loud cymbals turning in circles, maneuvering around inside his head. He took the offered hand turned it palm side down and kissed it ever so lightly. He tasted her sweet skin, and smelled her scent, crumbling his insides.

"I'm Draco," he stated collectively. "It's nice to meet you."

She didn't know just how nice it was to him. With the kiss on her hand, his soothing, masculine voice Joely bit her bottom lip, blushed, giggled...and winced. Draco thought that maybe he was squeezing her delicate hand too tightly and let go slightly, but only enough so they were still attached by the fingers. He didn't want to let go but was forced to when Sean, having noticed her grimace, came rushing over to her and began a game of twenty questions a mile a minute.

"Joely, are you okay? Does this hurt right here?" he asked with worry and anticipation as he moved his hand along particular areas of her back. Then...he hit it!

"Ow, ow right there!" she exclaimed. "That hurts!"

At this point Draco's curiosity had killed all nine lives of every cat in the Magical Menagerie down the alley as his eyebrow cocked.

"All right, all right just breathe, sweetheart," Sean said with worry again. He continued with the twenty questions that became annoying not only to Joely, who was now rolling her eyes, but to Draco, Noelle, Lucius and Narcissa as well.

"I'm okay now, Daddy, really I'm fine."

Draco wanted badly to interrupt Mr. McGill and say "She said she's ok now!" but refrained from it, luckily for at that moment all he could hear was...

"DADDY!" Joely yelled.

"SEAN!"

Draco snorted under his breath causing Joely to smirk. Her smile awakened the tension in his stomach, how he was going to make it through the day he hadn't a clue.

"Sean, she said she's fine now, besides you told her to breathe and how is she going to accomplish that task if you're hovering over her like a smothering pillow," Noelle stated in a matter-of-fact tone that tinged her cheeks pink. After asking his daughter once more if she was all right, he backed away.

The conversing of catching up had recommenced when Joely realized she needed to get out of the stuffy, confining bookstore. She lightly scratched her forearm in thought while gazing around Draco studying her parents and the Malfoys when it struck her -

"Hey, Draco, how about you show me around Diagon Alley?" she whispered.

"Sure. Of course," he stated, though how he managed to put that many words together baffled him.

Just as Joely and Draco were sneaking toward the door; "Where are you two off to?" Sean looked positively annoyed.

"Uh... Draco is going to show me around Diagon Alley."

Sean was reluctant but heard his wife state, "Oh Sean let her go, Draco will be with her, and she's fine now. No one is going to be popping up out of anywhere here." After a moments pause the thick air was filled with "All right, but don't wander too far, Jem."

"Nah, we won't, you four have fun! Don't do anything I would!" she stated in utter relief

She grabbed Draco's hand but suddenly let go when she winced yet again. Draco wasn't curious anymore, now he was perplexed beyond help. "Joely, are you sure you're all right? I can go get your parents."

Her lips were pressed in a very thin line, but then her eyes widened to globular size and said, "NO! DON'T!" she almost yelled. "I'm good." Draco wasn't a Slytherin just because it was in his blood, he wasn't stupid. He knew she wasn't fine.

They wandered around Diagon Alley as the hours that seemed like minutes passed by much too fast for their liking. Their first stop was Quality Quidditch Supplies where the checked out the newest broom. The STRICKER 5000 was stunning. It had all the latest features. One that struck Joely with spirit was when she read... "'The Stricker 5000 has the ability to automatically sense the rider's capability and adjust for the safest broom ride possible. It has an acceleration of naught to 260 in 5.3 seconds if the rider is within the abilities to handle the speed.'", and the list went on and on about it features.

"You play Quidditch?" Draco asked.

She shook her head. "I prefer to watch, that way I don't have to be partial to one team." Draco smirked at her comment. "Plus my coordination in the air isn't as great as on the ground."

"But you ride right?"

"I have a slight anxiety towards heights." Joely looked rather embarrassed at purging this secret to him. Draco knew he had to take her on a broom ride sometime to get rid of that obnoxious fear. She inhaled a deep breath as a note of finality on that subject.

Next, Draco walked her to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and bought themselves toffee ice cream cones which he had no clue where actually her favorite till she told him. I'm on the right track, he thought to himself. As they were walking, watching the families and children enjoying a good time, Joely took a large step forward and halted in front of Draco. She peered into quicksilver pools with unease and apprehension.

"I want to apologize for passing right by you at the staircase landing. It was rude and I'm sorry. Had I known you were Lucius son, I would've said hello before." She immediately bent her head down and found an amazing interest in either her shoes or the ground, for even Draco could not tell what she was looking at.

"Think nothing of it," he told her. "To be honest I'd had already forgotten about it," he lied. He felt bad that he just lied to her, but it didn't cause any further hurt within her. A great burden had been lifted off his shoulders for she now had just confirmed to him, that she did in fact know he was alive then and there previously. Yet it stung to think that it would have been sooner only because he was his father's son. Joely started opening and shutting her mouth without speaking a word, taking on the appearance of a goldfish. Draco smirked, bent his knees, and tilted his head to look into her eyes and said with certainty and caring -

"Hey," he placed a finger under her chin and curved it up to look at him. "Really it's fine, don't worry, all right?" The smiled he received sent shivers up his spine and he simply nodded back. Just as Joely was about to reply...

"OH, DRAKIE!"

Draco's face contorted into a look of disgust and his shoulders shook, an action that was reserved only for that nickname and the owner of the mouth it belonged to. He noticed Joely's eyebrows rise sharply and mouthed silently, "Drakie?"

"Ah, sweetums, why didn't you tell me you where going to be here today?" the girl screeched as she placed kisses on his cheeks. Joely felt slightly jealous but then pushed it aside not only because she felt it was ridiculous, seeing as she had only known him for a few hours, but knew it was for her own good.

"First, never call me sweetums, secondly, never kiss me again, and thirdly, I didn't tell you I was going to be here in hopes of possibly avoiding you at all costs until school started again," Draco stated viciously. He paid mind that his fierce drawl has rolled a bit of edginess through Joely, but apparently the one meant for the insult was rather giggly.

"Oh isn't my boyfriend cute, but, Draco, who's this, this...girl?" She looked disgustedly at Joely being anywhere circa "her" Draco. The girl's look reminded Joely of when she once was forced to eat frog spawn during a rowdy game of "Truth of Dare," with a hint of a predatory side coming through.

"Her name is Joely, Pansy, not that it's any concern of yours. Why don't you frolic, scamper, run or do whatever the hell it is you do and leave me alone with her for an actual intelligent conversation!"

Joely's head shot back at the rudeness that he was expressing. It was obvious that they knew each other, but even she was slightly offended by his statement. Was he implying that girls frolic and scamper?

"Do not speak to me in that tone of voice, Draco Malfoy, or you will find yourself without a girlfriend from this point on."

"Whatever gave you the idea that I would ever date a slag like you?"

A few passer-bys turned their heads when they heard Draco's language. Joely's eyebrows shot up and an "OUCH!" emitted from her mouth. She knew what the word meant because he father had used it in reference to a woman that had asked him to leave his wife for her. Draco was seething with anger, ready to have Diagon Alley go down in history as this era's Pompeii. His fists were clenched, knuckles as white as bone, and puzzled as to what Pansy might open her gob to expel next. He cut her attempt at a comeback that Draco just knew was going to involve their flings and grabbed Joely by the forearm and took off with Pansy stalking away in the opposite direction.

"Ow, Draco, you're hurting me! Let me go!" Joely's eyes were red and she not only felt the tears stinging to be released but Draco could see them as well. She cocked her head around to see Pansy walking off with her arms wrapped around her body.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said releasing her arm, "I just wanted to get you away from;" he pointed towards the retreating form of Pansy and said, "that." He gently took hold of her arm and massaged the part of her forearm he grabbed and noticed a bruise already forming and Joely quickly jerked it away.

Why does this have to happen to me now? she thought. Please, please leave me alone this time.

"It's okay. Really, I was just surprised is all," she told him.

Draco thought that maybe she had read more into what Pansy was saying than he realized but dismissed the idea. She knew nothing about Pansy, so how could she decode her speech. After all, Pansy was his Rosetta Stone for girl talk at Hogwarts. He felt terrible about hurting her, which only caused the already awkward pause between them to persist.

"So...um...Pansy has a thing for you, huh?" she asked, interjecting into the silence

"Yeah, unfortunately she does." Draco silently prayed that the inquiry on Pansy wouldn't continue. He thought he heard her say "I can't see why she wouldn't," but Draco looked at her with surprise in his eyes and thought that maybe it was just his imagination hoping she would say something like that. In attempts of killing the possibility of more Pansy questions which would cause him to become very uncomfortable, he tried hard to think of somewhere to go. One of the Malfoy rules of being in public, never appear uncomfortable or offended: this shows weakness.

Joely wanted to further catechize as to the situation with Pansy considering her immense interest in Draco, but knew he didn't want to rehash anything with her. She thought it for the better to try and think of another topic.

Think; think Malfoy...um...um...the Apothecary that's it! he thought. "Would you like to see the Apothecary, I hear they have some new potions ingredients that we might be using this year," Draco told Joely.

"Sure, potions is my favorite subject." Joely was beyond thrilled but she wasn't about to show it; her best class was potions back in the States.

Oh, Snape is going to love her, someone who actually likes his class, this will be something interesting to look forward to, he thought.

Joely was in the divine graces inside the Apothecary. All the ingredients she could ever want and need to make all the potions she could imagine and then some. Even ones that were illegal in the States were within her reach. She searched the shelves in hopes of finding the ingredient she needed to begin her possible healing. Draco stared at her in amazement as to how one could enjoy potions as much as he could see she did. Sure, he was good with potions, he had top marks in it in fact, but he mostly relished in the idea of the one class where Slytherin never lost points, but gained points from other houses' failures, especially the failures of Gryffindors.

YES! her head screamed in excitement. Here is it, thank the gods mom and dad aren't anywhere to be seen.

Joely was reaching for an ingredient labeled Powdered Blowfish Spikes that was beyond her grasp. She searched around though the crowds in hopes of finding Draco; knowing with his at least 6'0 height could easily aid in her retrieval. Her search attempt was stunted when she looked through the window to see her parents and the Malfoys right outside the building, all four conversing with faces of judging demeanors. Draco was towards the back of the shop but had a perfectly clear, unobstructed view of the reaching witch. He smirked as he watched her determination mixed with greed to have what she wanted. She finally found him, giving him the look of being disgruntled and said, "Help me please?" which Draco actually admitted he found adorable. Her face kept visiting Draco, then the shelf, onward to the window and then back to Draco; the smirk never leaving his face as he advanced on her.

"I hate being only 5'4; it makes it so hard to reach the high shelves where all the really good stuff is!"

At that precise moment of her statement, her parents and the Malfoys walked into the shop. It was rather crowded even for July so as Draco stepped behind Joely, his hand grazed the peeking skin of her hip. She hissed in pain and hunched over the counter to keep from falling while emitting tears. Draco grabbed the Powdered Blowfish Spikes and helped her stand back on her feet, leaning her back against his strong chest.

"AHHH!" she screamed in agony.

Draco felt something warm and wet coming into contact with the thin material of his shirt. Joely leaned against the counter wincing in pain, and crying freely. As she leaned over forward, Draco saw fresh, bright red blood seeping through the back of her shirt.

"OH GODS, JOELY, NO!" yelled Sean. "Here, Draco give her to me! Clear this space please everyone I need some room, quickly please!"

Draco was bothered. Why do I care? he thought.

Draco could see that the entire back of her shirt was now covered with blood and it was inching its towards the waistband of her jeans, threatening to discolor the material. Noelle was examining the now uncovered flesh of her back and trying with all her might to hold back the tears screaming to be let go.

"Sean, we need to get her home NOW!"

Sean nodded, picked up Joely with ease, and walked directly to Lucius. Without a single word spoken between them Lucius just nodded and said, "I'll be right behind you with it."

Sean exited the Apothecary with Joely in his arms; blood trailing behind him. Whispers were dawning in all directions around them.

Noelle walked to Draco. "What was she after?"

He showed her what Joely had been reaching for from the shelf and all the while trying to speak, but all that came out was, "Is... what... happened... did... I?"

Noelle braced her hands on Draco's arms and replied, "You did nothing wrong, sweetheart, she's going to be fine." But even Noelle wasn't convinced that her daughter was going to recover. It was becoming more a conquest and war to overcome the intensity that the pain dealt out.

Narcissa turned to face Draco and said, "Come on, darling; let's go home, you can't help her anymore." Draco was mute and worried more than he realized and was willing to admit.