The Legend of Chime

Chapter eleven The Christmas gift

"Why are you letting her get away with it, Draco?"

He glared at Pansy as she repeated the same question she had asked him at least a hundred times before. He wasn't amused. He didn't like explaining himself to anyone. He had rarely seen a need to do so before. His look turned venomous as she continued to whine and refused to let the subject drop.

"It's been three days now and she's leaving for her grandmother's in the morning and with that awful curse she threw at you, we won't be able to celebrate Christmas like we usually do," she mewled, her fingers sliding down his torso.

He grabbed them and squeezed painfully, eliciting a squeal from her. She quickly snatched her hand away and pushed herself off the sofa, delivering a nasty scowl. "That hurt, you git," she hissed. "Fine, keep a soft cock! See if I care!"

Draco heard Pansy storm from the room as he continued to stare into the crackling fire, unconcerned. He only tolerated her for a good poke anyway and that didn't really matter at the moment.

 Bloody hell! She couldn't leave it alone, could she?

Now his thoughts were back on the one person that had gotten him into his current state. For three days now, he had refused to answer any questions that had come his way regarding her and the incident. He had gone out of his way to ignore her when he saw her in the corridors. He was reluctant to admit the truth to anyone, even himself.

He laughed quietly at his own weakness. What had gotten into him? He was Draco Malfoy. The prince of Slytherin house and heir to the Malfoy fortune. He knew he should be livid with what she had done. He should be taunting her mercilessly between classes about how willing she had come to him. He should be rubbing Potter's nose in the fact that he had his girlfriend in several different ways. He should be threatening her with every vile curse imaginable for daring to hit him with a Succubus curse.

But every time he found himself cursing her brilliance, he also knew he deserved what she had delivered. The knowledge left a bitter taste in his mouth and a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had gone too far this time in his need for revenge and that was why he hadn't sought retaliation. He regretted using her, though he would never admit it aloud. He was a Malfoy, after all. He had a reputation to uphold.

Bloody hell!

It had been so easy to take what was unwittingly offered to him at first, but gradually it had become an obsession. The dark magic possessed within the ring has started to eat away at his soul, blurring the lines between cruel revenge and tender companionship. The ring might beckon to her, but it had brought him to the edge of insanity. He had started seeing what he had secretly yearned for, ignoring the vacant look in her eyes and the empty smile upon her lips. She had comforted his tortured mind and soothed his serpent heart as she unknowingly poured part of herself into him, weakening herself in the process. He knew it was the power of Chime. To heal all wounds, even scars as deep as his own, to make a person whole again. But he had thought himself immune to her effect. And now he was as much a prisoner to her power as she was to the ring.

Bloody hell.

He had long ago given up the idea of ever feeling loved or loving someone in return. His parents had never shown him an ounce of it in his life. They had taught him at a very young age that love was a weakness to be exploited, a weapon to be honed and used against those gullible enough to believed in it.

His mind drifted back to the time his father had given him a puppy at the age of four. He had thought it a token of his love at the time. How stupid he had been. He remembered that day clearly in his mind and a cold smile curved his lips. How could he ever forget? He had loved that mutt . . . Aries . . . that had been the name he had given it. He had been so lonely, and he had spent all his free time with the vile creature. He had even dared to allow it to sleep in his bed at night. He could still remember the deep, cruel laughter of his father as he made him torture the animal to death a few months later. He had cried but did as his father instructed in the end and watched as the life seeped out of his beloved pet, feeling part of himself die with it. His father had been disgusted by his tears. Malfoys never cry, he had shouted. That was the day he received his first real beating from his father and afterward his mother had come to him. She had cradled him in her arms and wiped his tears away. Malfoys were never to cry, she had softly whispered as she healed the bruises with the wave of her wand. Tears showed weakness. Later, he had overheard his mother berating his father, not for hitting him, but for leaving marks on his beautiful face. The Malfoy heir should never be hit where it was visible. Yes, that was the day he realized his parents had no love for him. He was a possession. A person to be sculpted into the darkest of wizards. A wizard immune to the worthless notions of love and tenderness.

What a disappointment he must be to his father, that a mere slip of a girl could affect him so deeply without even trying. The curses and blows to his body he could deal with. He had been dealing with them his whole life. They meant little to him. It was the soft touches and worthless, fanciful feelings that made him most vulnerable, for they breathed life into the four-year-old boy deep inside him that still yearned for such things.

Funny how the woman he had detested in the beginning meant so much to him now. Funny how he didn't realize how wrong things were until it was too late. Funny how he didn't realize he cared for her until she looked at him with so much hate and disgust that he felt it in his soul. Funny . . .

Bloody Hell.

 

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It was their last night together. He had sent a note with Hermione telling her to meet him in 'their room' while everyone else went to dinner. A smile played about her lips. Their room. She knew he had something special planned. She had seen it in his eyes earlier. They definitely needed the time alone together. The past few days hadn't been the greatest in her life. Thank goodness no other memories had surfaced. Don't think about it, Elizabeth!

She shook her head then pushed a stray curl out of her face as she hurried down the seventh floor corridor. She had arranged her hair to fall in waves and curls down her back. Harry had mentioned he liked her hair down once and although her unbound tresses usually aggravated her to no end, she wanted to please him, especially tonight.

She tried not to think about having to leave tomorrow. It would only make her depressed and ruin their night. Instead, she concentrated on making her way as quickly as possible to the Room of Requirement unnoticed. She slowed her pace and looked around as she came to the enormous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, to make sure Filch or Mrs. Norris weren't lurking nearby. Then she opened the highly polished door opposite the tapestry and stepped inside.

The sight that greeted her could have easily come straight out of a book of fairy tales. The room was lit by dozens of candles and fairy lights scattered the ceiling midst sprigs of mistletoe. A lovely twinkling Christmas tree stood in the corner between a roaring fireplace and a bed with a silk counterpane covered in beautiful sweet-smelling lilacs. A table covered with all of her favorite foods had been placed in the opposite corner along with two chairs. Then her eyes fell on Harry. He stood in the middle of the room with a small bouquet of lilacs between his teeth and an extremely pleased look on his face. He held a large present in his hands. "Merrwe Chwismas!" he mumbled, careful not to chew the flower stems.

It took every once of self-control she could muster to keep her expression neutral as she shut the door behind her then closed the distance between them. She was unable to suppress her giggle any longer as his pleased expression faltered somewhat as he looked into her face. She took the bouquet out of his mouth and kissed him deeply, the smell of lilacs wafting her senses.

"Glad you did that. Those flowers didn't taste very good," Harry said truthfully, shifting the present that was still in his hands as a wicked grin split his face. "But you do."

"How long have you been standing like that?" she giggled, enjoying the fragrance of her bouquet.

"Not long." He turned and indicated the Marauders map lying open on the bed behind him

with the flip of his head.

"Quite a handy piece of parchment," she said smiling.

"Yeh, it is. Er-Merry Christmas, Elizabeth," Harry said holding up the present and walking swiftly over to the fireplace to place it next to the tree. He beckoned her to follow with a flip of his head then grabbed her hand when she walked within reach and pulled her down with him to sit on the hearth rug. "Go on. Open it!"

 She laughed as his face lit up with anticipation and his emerald eyes gleamed in the firelight, reminding her of a little boy who had a secret he was dying to share and couldn't keep still until he told it.

"What is it?" she asked as she peeked under the wrapping, eliciting a frustrated growl from him.

"Open it properly and find out!" he demanded, his fingers twitching as he suppressed the urge to open it himself.

Elizabeth pulled off the wrapping and found three smaller wrapped parcels inside. "Oh, you're one of those," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're the kind of person who likes to leave the person doing the unwrapping in suspense," she said starting to slowly unwrap the first one, pulling off the tape with painstaking care, laughing at Harry's disgruntled look.

"Actually, Hermione wrapped them for me," he said grabbing a second one and giving it a shake. "No! Open this one first," he said, snatching the gift she was unwrapping from her hand and shoving the one he had into it instead.

"You are adorable. Are you always like this during Christmas time?" she said laughing again as she shook her head and pulled off the paper.

"No . . . I think it's just you," he said grinning as she opened the box and peered inside.

It was empty, except for a small gold embossed card. She picked it up and read it:

Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of a male snowy owl.

                      Gifted to you by: Harry James Potter

               ( Remember Eeylops Owl Emporium for all your new friends' needs!)

Elizabeth gasped. "Oh . . . Harry! You shouldn't . . . I've never . . . Oh! Thank you!" She flung herself at him, kissing him soundly as he caught her in his arms then steadied himself before they could fall into the tree.

Harry laughed. "Keep that up and we'll never get through all the things I have planned. Here. Now this one," he said picking up the slightly larger box she had yet to touch.

Elizabeth turned in his arms and leaned against his chest then unwrapped the second present. She lifted the lid and found a beautifully ornate, silver-handled looking glass nestled under several layers of tissue paper. "It's beautiful, Harry. Wherever did you find it?" she said slightly in awe as she ran her fingers over the handle.

"Actually, I told Ginny what I wanted and she picked it out in Hogsmeade for me. It does more than just look nice . . . watch." Harry slid out from behind Elizabeth and walked to the table. She watched as he picked up another mirror and whispered, "Elizabeth," into it.

She jumped as a face appeared within the looking glass. She gazed down at Harry's face beaming back at her and smiled. "That's brilliant, Harry. How did you think to do that?"

Harry's smile wavered momentarily as he quietly responded, "Sirius gave me mine. Said he and my father had used them to talk to each other while they were in separate detentions." He made his way back over to her as he continued, "I asked Hermione to help me figure out how to enchant yours to do the same. It was surprisingly simple to do. Now, we can see each other whenever we want." He knelt down as he spoke and caressed her cheek.

She looked into his eyes and felt her heart start to beat wildly. "You're really something, you know that," she whispered, shifting around to her knees.

She closed her eyes and kissed him softly, running her hands up his body. He pulled her to him roughly and deepened the kiss, running his hands through her hair. She felt him slowly sink back onto the rug, clasping her to him as he went. Her passion ignited and she rubbed her body against him erotically, eliciting a low moan from deep inside his throat. She pushed herself up to straddle him and slowly removed her robes along with the clothing beneath, watching his eyes turn dark with desire. Then she turned her attention to his shirt, unbuttoning it with nimble fingers as he explored her body with his hands. By the time his trousers were discarded, they were both breathing heavy with anticipation.

The firelight cast dancing shadows across their entwined bodies as they moved in a rhythm as old as time itself. Sweat glistened upon their skin as their pleasure peaked and Elizabeth collapsed upon Harry's chest, her breathing coming in gasps. He softly kissed her forehead as his chest rumbled with suppressed laughter.

Elizabeth lifted her head. "And what is so funny?" she purred.

He ran his fingers through her hair and peered up into her face sporting a silly grin. "You've ruined my schedule. We never even made it to dinner," he said pointing to the table laden with food.

"Well, I can get dressed again if you like. And we can start over," she said tartly, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

"No. . . . I rather like you as is, if you don't mind," he said trying to pull her back down.

She pushed his hands away, smiling, "But now that you mention it, I am rather famished." She slid off Harry then pushed herself up and strode to the table of food.

Harry rolled onto his side, watching her pick up a strawberry and bite into it. His body came alive again as his eyes followed the path of a drop of juice that had escaped her mouth. It rolled down her chin and throat, coming to rest between her breasts.

Elizabeth raised a napkin to her mouth and caught Harry's wandering gaze. "On second thought, maybe I should put a shirt on," she said, lifting an eyebrow and casually wiping the juice away.

"You're probably right," Harry said huskily, throwing her his shirt before pulling on his trousers. He didn't bother buttoning them as he made his way over to the table.

Elizabeth felt the heat rise within her as she watched the muscles in his chest ripple with his every movement. God, I love Quidditch!

She averted her gaze and slipped on his shirt before she was tempted to forget dinner all together. She busied herself by filling both their plates. As they ate, they discussed what name she should give her new owl.

"Well . . . he's male . . . so it has to be something masculine . . . but not harsh," Elizabeth said between bites. "And nothing I would name a child."

"All right that narrows it down a bit," Harry said thoughtfully.

"How did you decide on Hedwig?" asked Elizabeth curiously, popping a grape in her mouth.

Harry laughed remembering, "I found it in a book, A History of magic, I believe it was. Hagrid got her for me. My present for my eleventh birthday. That was back when I wanted to read everything that had to do with magic. Sorry to say I got over that quickly, after I arrived at Hogwarts."

Elizabeth leaned her elbows on the table, munching on a honey-covered scone. "So you found her name in a book. Hmm . . . wish I had a book of names. It would be much easier than trying to think of one off the top of my head," she said tilting her head back thoughtfully.

"Your wish is my command, so the saying goes," he said handing her a book.

"What is this?" she asked peering down at the book in her hands then turning it to read the spine. "The Book of Names for All Occasions. My, my, my. Don't you think of everything?" she said sounding impressed.

Harry shook his head and swallowed the bite he had been chewing. "No. This is the Room of Requirement, Elizabeth. Whatever you need it magically provides, remember."

"Oh. I didn't realize all you had to do was ask. Hmm, must keep that in mind. Well, let's see . . . I guess I should start at the beginning," she said thumbing through to the front of the book. "Hmm . . . Allyre . . . Acelous . . . Aria?" She read through some of the names that caught her eye.

Harry gave her a funny look. "Are you sure you're looking under names for boys? Those sound awful feminine to me."

She peered over the top of the look and gave him disgruntled look. "I told you I wanted a name that I wouldn't call a child. These are names of Patron saints."

He held up his hands in mock defense. "Sorry. Whatever you say. It's your owl."

She chose to ignore that comment. "Bademus . . . Bain . . . that's not bad," she thought for a moment then shook her head, "No. Reminds me too much of pain . . . Balay . . . Bayra . . . Berard. Nothing striking my fancy in the B's. Onto the C's. . . . Cadoc . . . Cephas. . . Caprasius. Ooo. I like that one. Caprasius. Cap for short. What do you think?"

"I'm sorry. What did you say?" Harry said smiling wickedly. "I was distracted by the . . . view." His gaze returned to the outline of her breasts as she leaned onto the table.

She reached over and lifted his chin then laughed and repeated, "Caprasius. Cap for short."

"Sounds good to me," he said grasping her hand and pulling her across the table knocking the food to the floor. Elizabeth squealed as her chair flipped backwards and the food was smeared across her front. Harry stood and picked her up from the table and cradled her in his arms as he started for the bed.

"Harry! I have food all over me now!" she said incredulously as he threw her on the bed.

"That's okay. I'll lick it off."

And he did.

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Harry knew he should wake her but was reluctant to do so. It was the first time he had ever seen her sleep and an intense sense of peace enveloped him as he watched her. It was something he would give anything to be able to do every night, love her into exhaustion and then watch her sleep. He didn't think it was too much to ask. We are supposed to save the world so why can't we do what we want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else?

His eyes traced the outline of her form, committing every curve to memory. She was lying on her side, her arms were curled up to pillow her head and a lock of hair had fallen across her face to caress her cheek. He lifted a hand and gently pushed the rebellious strands away and she turned toward his touch. The memory of a recurring dream surfaced in his mind. He smiled remembering but admitted to himself that reality had far surpassed the dream.

Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open and it took her a second to realize where she was. Her eyes locked with Harry's and she smiled remembering. She rolled over on her back and stretched casually then sat up with a gasp. "What time is it?" she said slightly panicked.

"It's after midnight," Harry said calmly. "Don't worry. I have the map and the invisibility cloak. We won't get caught."

She flopped back down on the bed. "Oh, that's right." She turned her head back toward Harry. "Have you slept at all?"

"No."

"I guess it's just as well. We should be heading back soon," she said lifting the blankets and sliding out from underneath. She bent to pick up her clothes.

"Marry me, Elizabeth." It wasn't a question.

She turned to look at him but said nothing for a moment then proceeded to slip her clothes on. "Don't say that, Harry. You don't mean it," she said quietly.

Harry's face became determined. "I wouldn't say if I didn't mean it. I love you, Elizabeth. I always will," he stated earnestly.

"We don't know what is to come, Harry."

"So be with me."

"I am with you."

"Forever."

Elizabeth crawled back onto the bed and kissed him with everything that was in her and the power of it shook his soul. She looked into his eyes. "In my heart, I already am and always will be," she said softly.

"So is that a yes."

She smiled. "For someone who claims not to have been able to speak to girls last year, you sure are talking a lot."

"You're not answering the question?" he whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"When I turn eighteen, I will marry you, Harry Potter."

Harry smiled, feeling his heart soar to the heavens. He kissed her gently and pulled her last present from underneath the blankets. "You forgot one."

"So I did," she said taking the small box in her hands. She pulled off the wrapping and flipped open the lid. A ring was nestled in a bed of velvet. It was a simple gold band depicting two entwined hearts with two unusual looking diamonds in the middle.

"It's not a proper engagement ring. I hadn't planned on asking you to marry me. It just sort of came out. But I meant every word, Elizabeth. When I'm able, I'll get you a proper one," Harry said in a rush.

"No. It's beautiful, Harry. I've never seen one like it."

"It's enchanted as well. You see. The jewels change color. They turn blue if someone is lying to you and red if someone is trying to harm you." Harry shrugged. "I thought it looked nice so I got it and having a dark detector on you at all times seemed like a good idea."

"It's wonderful. I'll wear it always," she said as he slipped it on her finger. It automatically shrank to fit perfectly. Elizabeth frowned, realizing what Harry had just said. "You saw it. You got it. You didn't sneak into Hogsmeade just to get this ring, did you? Harry James Potter! How stupid could you be? Death Eaters are lurking everywhere. You could have been caught. Voldemort could have . . . "

Harry kissed her fiercely to shut her up and kept kissing her until he felt her body relax then he slowly pulled away. "I had the map and the cloak. No one saw me but the shopkeeper. I've gotten very good at not being seen over the years. So relax." He pushed himself off the bed and pulled on his clothes.

"Just promise me you won't take another risk like that. I couldn't bare it if something happened to you," she said softly, watching Harry dress then pick up the map.

"Sorry, I can't do that. I won't lie to you, Elizabeth. Life is full of risks, especially mine," he said peering at the map. "Well, Filch is in his office, Peeves is bouncing around the third floor, Mrs. Norris is lurking down by the dungeons and all of the prefects have retired for the night so it looks like we'll be able to sneak back to the Common room without having to use the cloak much. We'll just slip the cloak on when we're closer to the Fat Lady."

"Wait . . . I have something for you," Elizabeth said pulling a small parcel wrapped in green paper from her pocket. "It seems you weren't the only one keeping poor Ginny busy. But I personally pick yours out. Ginny brought me a catalog." She handed him the gift. "Sorry, it's only the one."

Harry leaned forward and kissed her forehead as he took the gift. She took the map and cloak from his hands and watched him open his present.

"A watch. I've been needing another one for a couple of years now. It's really nice. Thank you, Elizabeth," he said, admiring the timepiece. He flipped it over and noticed it was engraved:

 Harry

Wherever you are

my heart abides Forever

 Love E

Harry was so completely touched, he didn't know what to say. He had never felt loved so completely before and now she was going to be his wife in one year and nine months. He felt he could conquer Voldemort himself if he were to appear right now.

"They couldn't fit my whole name on there but I figured you would remember who I was," she said smiling. "Do you like it?"

"I love it . . . and I love you," he said slipping it on his wrist.

Elizabeth beamed and they stared at each other for a moment before she handed him back his cloak and map. He kissed her once more as he opened the door and they headed reluctantly back to the tower.

Harry looked down at the ring on her finger.

Tonight, she promised me forever.