Innocent Eyes

AN: My people, you underestimate me! How do you think I would be able to explain the fact that Draco could walk around in sunlight - and has been, since he arrived at Hogwarts without having some dark, tainted under plot brewing? That's right! You guys are in for more surprises! His face changed - yes, this indicated that he was a vampire, but I never said that's what he was did I? As you read on, you'll hear more clues to indicate this theory, but don't assume too much! He COULD be a vampire, but he could be something else, I'm not agreeing to either! Hehe.

Innocent Eyes

Chapter 3

Death Becomes.

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

When Kathryn got back to her dormitory she flung herself onto her bed, closed the curtains and placed a silencing spell around her area.

"Oh god ..." she whispered, the shock of recent events hitting her hard. Draco's kiss had been ... oh god it had been a whirlwind of emotions. She'd felt like she was being enveloped by an icicle one moment, and then as if her whole body were on fire, feelings burnt through her wildly and uncontrolled.

But Draco was nothing but a vile, disgusting creature. Exactly like the ones that had killed her parents, and his father was exactly the same. They were vicious killers that did not have a care in the world. How could she have fallen under his spell? How could she not have realized his preternatural essence? She was the Slayer for god's sake; she could sense vampires anywhere and everywhere. What was different around Draco? Kathryn knew she probably wouldn't be able to get to sleep that night, but she lay back on her bed anyway, her eyes droopy despite her shocked state. She slipped into a fitful slumber and dreamt; unbeknownst to her that another was sharing her visions.

She was looking through the eyes of someone ... she could feel a tumultuous whirl of emotions flitting through her, but one was definite. Looking down, she realized that she was wearing a gown that belonged back sometime during the medieval period or even at the start of the Renaissance. It was a deep, rich blue, soft to touch and was lined in intricately sewed white lace, dipping just enough in the front and flaring out at the waist. She fingered a lock of hair and pulled it around to her face and discovered with a start, that it was not her own rich brown color, but a golden one ... a familiar golden one. She looked around at the dark street she was standing in. It was paved in little cobblestones and the houses were small and thatched - if they were houses that is. They could have been restaurants or pubs, she didn't know for sure. When she moved her arm, she felt something hard tucked into her long sleeve that flared out at the end. Reaching up she pulled out the sharp wooden object.

"So I'm a Slayer," she muttered to herself. "I wonder where I am?" She was just about to walk ahead when a feeling overcame her. She turned to look at where she thought she SHOULD look and saw ... him.

It was as if another person had taken over her body, she was no longer the soul inside, but an observer. She realized that the true owner of the body must have re-inhabited it. The feelings she was experiencing were fresh, raw and deep. The emotion that she felt for the man standing in front of her was nothing but deep, trusting love.

When Draco had discovered that he'd been placed inside someone else's body, he had chucked a massive fit. That was, until he saw the body. Wow, he was good-looking. The only problem with this picture was ... he did not have a heartbeat and he craved ... oh great, he was a bleeding vampire. (AN: I know you're all saying 'but isn't Draco a vampire?' I'll explain soon! Just keep your pants on!)

Draco had also experienced the strange 'observer' feeling as Kathryn when his body took sight of a beautiful girl with shining golden locks and beautiful red lips. Draco felt as his undead heart warmed with a feeling he'd never experienced before. He watched as he wrapped the girl up in his arms and held her tight, kissing her forehead, muttering to her in fast French. The girl 'Jessique' as he realized, lifted her head up to his and looked imploringly into his eyes.

"He knows Auguste, he knows about us ... he will kill me ... he will kill you," she said, her face crumbling. He hugged her tighter.

"Nothing would ever tear us apart my sweet. Now that I have found you, I never want to let you go ... I'll never love another," he said quietly, bringing his lips to hers and sharing a deep, searing kiss.

Kathryn's heart contracted and she felt tears come to her subconscious eyes as she literally felt the heart-wrenching emotions that Jessique was going through. This was the man she had been waiting for her whole short life. He was 'the one' regardless of what he was. It was amazing; she'd never felt emotions like this.

"Dawn will be upon us soon, we must get you undercover," she said, pulling away slightly. Auguste responded by pulling her close again and capturing her lips in hers again, allowing her to forget for now the many troubles that she had to live with.

When Draco/Auguste pulled away, he looked into the sparkling blue eyes of his love.

"We will always be together, we will always love each other. No matter what," he whispered. She nodded silently, not daring to speak, and he let her lead him to a safe house.

The scene suddenly changed. Kathryn/Jessique and Draco/Auguste were in an underground basement. From the way Jessique was breathing, it was obvious she'd just run a very long way, in a very short amount of time. She screamed, her eyes wild as she took in the scene in front of her. Her watcher, her trusted watcher, the man she'd had so much faith in, the hands she'd put her life into, now crouched over another figure, locking it in a tight clinch, clutching a wooden stake poised over the figure's heart.

"NO! Arnaud! No!" she screamed, but she was too late. Just as he plunged the stake into the vampire's heart, Draco/Auguste looked up at Jessique and told her one last time.

"Always my love, I love you." And he dissolved into dust.

"NO! HOW COULD YOU? NO!" She screamed psychotically, rushing over to the place where her lover's body had once lain. She sobbed over the grains of dust on the floor, floods of tears pouring out, a never-ending waterfall. For a brief moment, Arnaud Badeau regretted the decision that he'd spent weeks fighting over. But the moment was brief and he passed it quickly.

"It was for the best Jessique ... one day ... one day you'll understand my decision," he said quietly, patting her on the back. Kathryn was shocked at how weak she felt. It was as if all the strength had left Jessique's body, all she felt was pain, and sorrow and never-ending loss. She didn't even have strength enough to scream her watcher down or at least give him a black eye. He deserved much worse.

"I will leave you alone ... please come by later, there are things we need to talk about. Goodbye Jessique," he said, and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

"Nothing ..." she mumbled incoherently, her eyes still glued to the spot where he'd once been. Her eyes lifted and fell onto a shiny silver blade lying on the ground that had once belonged to Auguste. A gift from his sire ... there was nothing left to loose. It only took her a second to decide.

Kathryn watched in horror as Jessique picked up the sharp knife and pointed it towards the body that they were presently co-inhabiting.

'No! No! Jessique! He's not worth it! Don't!' she tried to yell, but to no avail, no one could hear her, least of all the blonde Slayer about to do the unthinkable.

"Forever Auguste ..." she whispered and plunged the knife into her heart.

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

When Kathryn woke up the next morning, she was sweating and had her hand clutched over her heart. It had been the strangest feeling in the world - dying that is. She'd literally felt the knife slice through her flesh but the pain had never come. She'd felt the life seeping out of her, bit by bit and when she finally died ... she had been transported back to herself.

"Draco is a vampire, ..." she whispered, her eyes becoming fearful. Ever since the death of her family, she'd put on a hard, collected front, not letting anyone get inside, but being with Draco, and then discovering what he was had completely thrown her. The terror of that day had come back tenfold. Not only was she disgusted with herself for 'fraternizing with the enemy' but the moment that Draco had allowed the rage to overcome him, she'd seen the glazed, evil look that mirrored the one on Lucius' face before he ... oh god, it was too hard to think about. That was one face she would never forget.

Kathryn glanced at the clock, she had about fifteen minutes until breakfast and she could hear her roommates rousing. She took a deep breath and got out of bed. When she was dressed and ready, she pushed her dream out of her mind and walked with Blaise down to the Great Hall.

Draco woke up in an absolute daze. Wow. He had been dusted, like a common demon - he too experienced a strange sensation. He propped himself onto his elbows for a moment, trying to find his bearings, and then he remembered.

"You idiot," he told himself quietly. How could he have done this? He'd shown Kathryn ... she'd brought out his most fierce and passionate emotion and he'd changed. It had never happened to him before - not being able to control. He'd changed faces before but this was the first time he had not willed it to happen. This meant that the emotion he'd felt was powerful. Getting up, he walked over to the mirror of his private room and sat in front of it. A faint reflection stared back at him. It wasn't clear and full like a normal wizard's would be, it was sharp, but very faded, as if he were just a memory ...

Draco was a daylight walker. The Malfoy bloodline had a vampire lineage running through them. These did not make them full vampires, and they skipped every generation or so. Lucius Malfoy was not one. The lineage had arisen from a Malfoy many generations ago who had been turned into a vampire, who then, using magical methods, produced an heir. The blood of the Malfoy family was so pure, that the child had not become a full-fledged vampire, but a daylight walker, like Draco was now. A daylight walker was a person or a wizard who had many traits that reflected the vampiric race but also many traits that represented humanity. Draco could live in the sun, breathe, and eat food. Every once in a while he would require human blood to reenergize but that did not happen very often and he had learnt to control his cravings. Though he could breathe, the blood in his veins was cold, which caused the iciness of his skin and lips, and he was also blessed with the supernatural strength of a vampire. The humanity in him - he had retained his soul, as all daylight walkers did - was what brought the reflection in the mirror, but it was faded because it was so mixed with the demon part of him.

Normally, Draco was able to control the change in his visages, the only time when he wouldn't have been able to was when he was feeling deep, fierce emotions like the possessive love, hatred, or the dark rage he'd felt overcome him last night. He was disgusted with himself for not letting himself have more self-control.

"Kathryn ..." he whispered, gazing into the mirror. His expression was set in a hard line. What did that dream mean? Why had he been put there? Was it some kind of sign? He needed to know ... he also needed to know whether Kathryn was still talking to him or not, and if she wasn't, he needed to make her. The look on her face when he had shown his demon visage had not only been shock, but absolute terror. And he knew deep inside that this terror was somehow connected to his father, and he was going to find out why.

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

When Kathryn walked into the Great Hall, she was relieved to see that Draco had not yet made an appearance. Blaise caught her tense expression as they sat down.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Kathryn looked at her in surprise. Wow, this girl was sharp.

"Nothing," she mumbled, avoiding the other girl's eyes. Blaise gave her an exasperated look.

"Don't give me that bull," she snapped. Kathryn sighed.

"Okay, there is something but I really don't want to talk about it now," she said. Blaise stared at her for a few more moments before nodding and reaching for some breakfast.

Kathryn wasn't hungry, she was too nervous about seeing Draco again. It was a strange type of nervous ... more like anxiety; she just didn't want to see him. When she thought about it, the anger started boiling up inside her and she had to fight to push it down again. Gazing around the room she suddenly caught the eyes of a boy sitting two tables away at the table adorned in red and gold. She almost laughed at his untamable black hair that was sticking up at all ends, but when their eyes connected, her amused expression fled. His eyes were a piercing green ... emerald from what she could tell. They were hidden though, behind crooked round glasses. He was overwhelmed by the intensity of her scrutinizing stare and looked away. As he did so, he brushed some of that messy hair off his face and she noticed it.

"Yes, that's Harry Potter," Blaise said blandly. Kathryn looked at her in yet more surprise.

"You don't miss a thing do you?" she asked. Blaise smirked and shook her head. Kathryn turned her gaze back to him and studied that jagged bolt of lightening on his forehead.

"That must've hurt," she commented. Blaise shrugged.

"Probably," she muttered, going back to her toast. Kathryn looked towards the doors again as they opened and inhaled sharply. It was Draco. As he got closer, she stood up, and walked around the other side of the table, avoiding him completely and walked out of the hall. Hurriedly, she rushed down the hallway until she found an empty classroom and sat down with a deep breath. She was interrupted though when the classroom door was nudged open again. Luckily, it wasn't Draco.

"Kathryn right?" it was Harry Potter himself.

"Yes," she said shortly, her bad mood creeping out. He walked over to her and held out his hand.

"Harry Potter," he told her. She looked at his hand for a moment before gingerly reaching up and shaking it.

"No offence but why are you here?" she asked bluntly. He shook his head back and laughed.

"No reason, I finished breakfast and noticed you walk out so I thought I'd follow and introduce myself." Kathryn gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry, I'm aware of the whole Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry thing, believe me, I've been part of it for seven years now, but it doesn't hurt to say hi to the new girl," he went on. This time she did smile.

"There's that Gryffindor courage," she remarked. He laughed again.

"I'm glad to see you're not like all of them. I'd probably be hexed across the room right now if you had been-"

"Harry, what are you doing?" in walked the tall redhead boy that had been sitting next to Harry at breakfast. He gave Kathryn a dark look. Harry look at him, rolling his eyes.

"Ron, this is Kathryn, she's new here," he said. Ron took a step forward but didn't make to shake her hand like Harry had.

"Yeah, a new Slytherin," he said nastily. Kathryn jumped up.

"So much for that then. I'll see you around Harry," she said, giving Ron a dirty look and storming out. Harry whirled on his best friend.

"Ron!" he cried. Ron shrugged.

"What?" he asked. Harry rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, never mind!" he exclaimed before storming out as well.

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

Kathryn haughtily made her way back to the Slytherin dormitories. God! Some people were so narrow-minded! She should have listened to Blaise, or even Pansy! Gryffindors. Pfft.

Whirling around a corner, she lost track of her step and felt herself crashing towards the ground when a pair of strong, icy arms caught her. She looked up, realizing who it was, and jumped back in shock.

"Get off me," she growled. His expression darkened.

"Kathryn, you haven't even given me a chance to explain-"

"Chance? You don't deserve any bloody chances Malfoy!" she began, grinding out his last name, making him cringe. "I saw what you are, I know your little secret now, you're a cold-blooded murderer, no better then a common demon, you're a killer. Just like your father," she spat. Draco's eyes widened at the mentioned of Lucius.

"What?" he asked in surprised. Kathryn studied his expression for a moment.

"As if you don't know you conniving little manipulator. From now on, I don't want to have anything to do with you or you family. I won't associate with the people that murdered my family!" she cried the last words out at a fevered pitch, the tears overwhelming her sensitive emotions. Giving him one last withering glare, she ran off, face in hands.

Draco was shocked. Murdered ... her family? What ... oh god, he should have known.

"Lucius."