Paper Flowers

Part II - Dark Magic

Chapter Seven - Magic without Consent

In my field of paper flowers

There's an answer if you look inside your soul
And the sorrow that you know will melt away
So when you feel like hope is gone
Looking inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
- Hero (Mariah Carey)

Take a minute to understand me
I'm everything you need
And in this world a good man is hard to find
Can't face the world without you
Can't even sleep at night
You'll think about this day and realise I was the one.
- You Know (Boys 2 Men)

Only one table stood, running the length of the Great Hall. Harry Potter sat at it, alone, with only three days of holidays left, and then his friends and the rest of the school would be back and the Hall would be full.

Well, as full as it would be at a time like this. War took casualties of all ages, after all.

The teachers were around somewhere, doing the sort of things teachers do. The only other student in the castle was Draco Malfoy, who Harry had not seen for two days.

So it was with mixed emotions that Harry watched Malfoy stroll through the doors and up to Harry, wearing his Dragon League uniform on his skinny frame and a determined expression on his face. Surprise, Harry felt, relief, annoyance but overall, happiness. He smiled.

Malfoy sneered and crossed his arms. "Wipe that silly grin off your face, Potter," he drawled, "we have business."

"Right." Harry nodded, amused. He closed his history text and rolled up his parchments. As soon as the table top was clear, Malfoy slammed a book down upon it.

"Make sure you get that read before school commences. Put it in your bag for now."

Harry read the title of the thick heavy book before putting it in his bag. Elemente Sans Magik, it read. He stood up and followed Malfoy out the Hall, through the next and then outside.

Just as he stepped out, he pressed fingers to his ear and his clothes transfigured with a woosh into his uniform of black Tebo and Manticore leather. "So…" said Harry, "how've you been?"

"Pardon?" snapped Malfoy, who was marching in front. "Yes, fine. Listen, you have to learn your final level." He glanced over his should to look at Harry, who was confused, and showed it. "You must take the pledge - oh for fuck's sake, don't walk behind me!"

"Er, right," muttered Harry as he caught up with the Slytherin. A wind blew and their cloaks billowed behind them as they travelled across the grass to the Forbidden Forest.

Malfoy took a deep breath - he seemed to be distracted and possibly anxious. "Do you want to know the Dark Arts, Potter?"

"Yes," said Harry immediately.

"And I know," continued Malfoy, his voice taking on low, covert tones, "you learnt a lot at Pegasus Lair, but this is different. There are rules, and legalities." Malfoy turned his head slightly and looked Harry in the eye for the first time that day.

"Look Malfoy, I'll do it, okay? Whatever it takes. You can rest assured that you will feel no guilt anytime soon."

Malfoy flushed, looking angry. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. But alright." And then they were trespassing through the forest. Light streamed through the trees, and the air seemed thicker, full of the moisture trapped by the thick trunks around them and the damp soil below. Malfoy took a step away from Harry and turned to him with a dramatic swirl.

"Alright," he said loudly as he visibly took in a deep breath. "What is Dark magic?"

Harry blinked. "Huh?"

Malfoy's shoulders slumped. "I am your master, you are my apprentice."

This time Harry stood up straight and stared with wide eyes. "What?"

The other raised an eyebrow. "You said you would, Potter. 'Whatever it takes' you said." But then he got distracted and narrowed his eyes, his focus suddenly on Harry's throat.

Harry brought a hand to it and felt something hard and cold sitting there. He grabbed it and looked down. "Oh," said Harry awkwardly. Why he had placed the pendant within the uniform charm he was not so sure. "It was a present from someone."

Malfoy looked away and waved a hard, seeming to Harry as if he were feigning disinterest. "Just answer the fucking question; we have a lot to get through."

"Alright," Harry nodded, standing up straight. "Dark magic is - " and then he stopped. Strangely enough, he did not know the definition. He knew what was illegal by laws established by the Ministry of Magic, yes, and which spells and artefacts were classified as Dark - but not the definition of the class itself.

Malfoy smirked knowingly. "Lost for words, Potter? The Boy Who Lived not know what he's up against? You should be glad I'm here to teach you."

Harry gave him a contemplative look. "What's in it for you, exactly?"

"The Cause of course," he drawled before letting out a sharp bark of laughter. "You'll know about the master-apprentice bond later."

Harry swallowed and licked his lips.

Malfoy started to stroll in the small place. "Dark Magic simply translates to: Magic Without Consent."

Harry nodded, listening. "Is it like, casting a curse on someone without their consent?"

The Slytherin sucked in a breath and ran a hand through his silver hair. "No, nothing like it. Just shut up and listen, alright?

"In every wizard and witch there is magic. It courses through their blood, and we draw upon it when we cast magic with our wands or, when we do that little bit of wandless magic we sometimes do." He paused and stopped walking, as if deliberating whether to continue or not. "That's why the pure-blood lines are so important -"

"Don't start," Harry growled in a warning.

"When people speak of blood getting diluted," said Malfoy defensively, "they are being literal."

Harry glared.

"Crabbe and Goyle may not be the smartest Grindylow in the lake, but I'll bet you anything their blood is thick with magic!"

"I rather not talk about pure-blood inbreeding, thanks," snorted Harry.

Malfoy started to pace again. "So when we draw upon another source of magic, and that source has not given permission, it is…" Malfoy raised an eyebrow enquiringly.

"Magic Without Consent," said Harry, resigned.

Malfoy stopped walking and gave Harry one of his thin, patronising smiles. "Can you give me some examples?"

Harry thought for a moment before answering. "Power Stones," he said triumphantly. "That's why they're illegal: their magic can be drawn upon easily but can have unpredictable results. Also, Power Stones are said to have souls, and drawing magic from them without consent is… bad?"

Malfoy nodded. "I said examples, Potter." He put particular emphasis on the plural.

Harry took the hint. "Okay, um, what about… summoning? Summoning a creature from its natural habitat, pulling it away from its home, that's not right, is it?"

"No," agreed Malfoy, "that is Dark too. But come on, Potter, you can do better than that."

Harry gave him a wry smile. "You want me to mention Elements, don't you?"

The response he got was an eye roll. "So, what about them?"

Harry bit his lip and thought. All Elemental magic was summoned from the Earth, right? So that meant… "Earth doesn't want us to use its Elements."

Malfoy put his hands on his hips. "Her Elements, Potter. It is believed that the Mother Earth has a soul of pure Spirit Element. From this, other Elemental magic is formed: Fire, Earth, Water… all the way up to Death and Holy. To call upon the Elements like we have is considered…" he paused. "Forbidden."

"Because," Harry tried, "she hasn't given us permission, and it's usually unpredictable, like Power Stones?"

The Slytherin hesitated. "Right… But there's more to it. Her spirit isn't never-ending - it is constantly being made through the spirits of the dead. They say the dead go though a huge process. If they don't end up as ghosts, they still sort of hang around just on the edge of reality, in this other world. And then, finally, when a spirit forgets who they were when they were alive, they sink into the Mother's Spirit, and from there new life is made. There's a balance.

"But -" and here he rubbed at his jaw "- wizards have been known to draw upon her, and in doing so depleting the source. That's why it's been made illegal; it hurts Earth. The less people do it the better."

Harry frowned. "Then why are we doing it?"

Malfoy gave Harry what Harry thought seemed like a pleading look. "It doesn't matter if it's a small group of us; the Mother probably doesn't mind. Besides, we're drawing upon her magic for a good cause, aren't we? Once we've saved her, we'll stop. For all we know, she's giving us her consent anyway."

"You don't know that," said Harry, shaking his head.

Malfoy shrugged. "Well anyway, come over here." He gestured for Harry to stand beside him. "You want to know which Elements you were born to manipulate, don't you?"

Harry watched the other's profile, and found that he did want to, very much, especially after seeing Luna heal people with her bare hands. He murmured an assent.

"Okay, now watch. I'm just going to ask Earth for the energy. You have to simultaneously reach inside your own soul, and your own blood. Understand?" Malfoy brought up his arms, palms facing upwards, fingers relaxed and slightly curled.

Harry waited. Malfoy closed his eyes and exhaled. In the space between his hands, the air moved as if shifting in and out of focus, and then there was a ball of silver light, just hovering there.

It expanded and grew, from the size of a Snitch, then growing slowly to the size of a Quaffle. Malfoy spread his hands to accommodate, and with the larger diameter Harry could see much more detail. Harry knew it as the white, shimmering gas that was always cold - but there was more to it. Circling around and through the ball of magic was something silky and white - like a flowing satin ribbon.

He had not noticed Malfoy open his eyes until Malfoy spoke. "Obviously, these are the two Elements I specialise in," he said softly. "It's innate for me to feel these Elements a lot stronger than any others. One of these is Ice, you can see that, I hope. Do you know what the other is?"

Harry found Malfoy's 'teacher mode' was getting on his nerves. He shrugged. "White means pure… I'm not sure."

Malfoy smirked. "Life, Potter." Then he frowned. "Not sure what I'm supposed to do with it though; not like I can revive people. Okay, now your turn."

Harry gave him an alarmed look, before complying. He held out his hands like Malfoy had, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He silently asked the Mother for… for what? The Elements in his soul, he supposed, and felt a tug somewhere in his stomach. Bring in the magic I was born into.

His fingers tingled with it, his body vibrated. When he inhaled, he felt it too and when he opened his eyes…

The ball of energy was a deep, dark green, almost black. He tensed the muscles in his hands and the ball of energy grew to something large, wild and absolutely magnificent. Each breath he took was like inhaling power. It was a strange, smoky green, the sphere - but that was not all. He saw that it was dotted around the edge with an almost florescent green, and circling around it like strings of bright pink cloud was something else entirely.

He glanced to the side, and the expression on Malfoy's face threw his concentration. Malfoy was in awe, his eyes wide and… fearful?

Harry let the energy fade, his arms drifting back down to his sides, and gave Malfoy an enquiringly look.

Malfoy looked back at Harry and cleared his throat. "Well," he said, uncharacteristically lost for words, "how interesting." And he gave Harry a soft smirk.

There was a pause before Malfoy told him softly, "There were three Elements in all -"

"Three?" exclaimed Harry in surprise; it was rare for a wizard to have three.

"Yes. The first was… but it can't be…" he shook his head. "Spirit Element - that was the larger, dark green. Very rare for a wizard to tap into the Spirit. Well done, Potter."

"And the pink cloud thing?"

"Well," Malfoy hesitated. "I'm not sure, actually."

"You don't know."

He looked annoyed. "No, but the patches of bright green, that was most certainly Death."

Harry let out a groan. "Oh, just great."

Malfoy shrugged.

"So…" Harry ventured uncomfortably, "there's Spirit, and Death, and something else you can't name."

"It wasn't in that book I gave you, anyway. Sometimes," he shrugged again, "there's Elements that are so rare, they only ever get conjured once a century. And there are some Elements that haven't been discovered yet, I'm sure."

Harry bit his lip. "It's just one more thing I can add to the list of 'things that make me special for reasons no one can see'."

"Get off your high horse, Potter," Malfoy suddenly snapped, sneering. "People sacrifice everything to gain the power you have."

Harry glared at him. "Well they can have it. I don't want it!"

"It takes great responsibility!" Malfoy snarled. "You can't just give it to anyone, and frankly, I don't think you deserve any of it."

Harry clenched his jaw and looked back at him. "You don't mean that."

Malfoy's eyes flickered away from Harry and back again. "People abuse their power in the worst ways."

"Voldemort, you mean."

Malfoy winced violently and hissed in a breath through his teeth.

"I'm not going to abuse - whatever this is - like he did," Harry raved, "ever."

Malfoy leaned forward, so that they were almost nose-to-nose. "Glad to hear it, Gryffindor." Then he stood back and calmed. "Would you like some lunch?"

"Um."

"Yes, me too." And then he pushed past Harry and strode of in the direction of the castle.

Harry walked quickly after him. They came out the forest and into the sunshine once more. "I promise I won't do anything stupid!"

Malfoy laughed loud and hard.

"I mean, not like that, you know that, don't you? We'll find out what the Element is, and then we'll know, right? And we'll figure this all out. Together."

Malfoy looked over. "Right. Together, then."

Harry nodded and Malfoy gave him a small smile. Then he swung a friendly arm over Harry's shoulder, which made them stumble a bit. They laughed, and Harry felt the tension lift.

"Who did give that thing to you anyway?" asked Malfoy as Harry clung one hand to his waist.

Harry's free hand went up to clasp the amber pendant. "I told you, a friend."

"Wouldn't happen to have been, oh I don't know, the werewolf?"

Harry favoured Malfoy with an enigmatic smile. "Maybe."

"Funny. I thought the old Professor was too poor to give young boys expensive gifts."

Harry's smile faded. "I hope you're not insinuating -"

"No insinuation," said the Slytherin quickly. "Just… strange, that's all."

"He's lonely."

The other raised an elegant blonde eyebrow. "Is he really?"

"It probably meant a lot to him, or something. Wanted me to have it. Probably because, you know, I was his best friends' son and godson."

They stopped by the large doors that lead to the Entrance Hall. Malfoy looked at Harry squarely, then lifted up a hand to finger the pendant around Harry's neck. "You know what this is, don't you?"

Harry did not like the fact that he did not, in fact, know its origin.

"There is an organisation of werewolves," Malfoy explained, "whose main trade is jewellery. They like melding things from pure Dwarf gold because obviously, they can't touch silver. And amber is considered their soft of… national jewel. Amber, of course, is usually worn with silver, so when you see amber jewellery paired with gold, it means it has come from this particular sect of Lycan jewellers. And besides, it's in the shape of the moon." He dropped his hand.

"And you should be careful," he said before opening one of the doors. "Magical artefacts of that nature tend to be Hexed with something."

"Or Charmed," Harry countered. "Could have a Protection Charm on it."

Malfoy looked at him pointedly. "For all you know," he drawled, before stepping inside.

Harry weighed this information before he stepped though. But no matter what he thought about it, it all came down to one fact: Remus had given the pendant to him. And yes, he was unsure why, though he knew it certainly was not payment for sex like Malfoy had insinuated. All Harry knew was that he loved Remus to some degree, and he trusted him, and it must have been important to Remus if it was as expensive as Malfoy had made it out to be. Harry would keep it safe for him.

It glinted in the candlelight as Harry strolled into the Great Hall, where everyone was seated at one end of the table. He went over and sat between Remus and Charlie, across from Snape and McGonagall. He spotted Hagrid and gave him a little wave. Dumbledore sat at the head and greeted Harry enthusiastically.

"How are you Harry? Good I hope, nice to see you're well!"

"Er," said Harry, adjusting his glasses, "hello Professor."

"Tuck in there Harry - yes, Sybil? Oh, indeed, I have finished my tea; check the leaves if you like…"

"So how have you been, Harry?" asked Charlie awkwardly as Harry filled his plate with a some mini quiches and a few triangular sandwiches. "Heard you got into a bit of trouble."

"You could say that," said Harry. Charlie was the second oldest brother of the Weasleys, and like Fred and George, he had that squat, muscled look inherited from their mother. Harry knew him the least of all the Weasleys; he was always away in some far off country studying dragons. Harry searched for a topic of conversation. "Um, so, what are you doing here? In Hogwarts, I mean. Are you the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

Charlie laughed and shook his head. "No, no. That, I'm afraid, is Tonks's job this year." He gestured down the table to where Tonks was sitting, talking animatedly to an irritated looking Draco Malfoy. "Lupin and I are here to help Hagrid with - er. Well," he lowered his voice and moved closer to Harry's ear. "Order business, you know."

"What kind of Order business?" Harry pressed.

Remus gave Charlie a disapproving look, before saying to Harry, "Don't worry about it, Pup. Rather boring, really."

"Rather boring?" exclaimed Charlie in dismay. "Rather boring? I don't think so. Don't know what your life has been like while I've been gone but - "

Remus reached an arm around Harry and slapped Charlie over the head.

Malfoy had left the table before Harry could go and talk to him again. So instead, Harry had gone and spoken with Hagrid and Firenze. He had tried to get more information on the 'Boring Order Business' from Hagrid, but not such doing. Hagrid kept his mouth shut about it, and had Firenze's assistance in changing subject.

Afterwards Harry went back up to his empty dorm room and wrote a few more paper flowers to Sirius. About his day, about the amber pendant… and about the three Elements. How much use was Death and Spirit, anyway? The third Element may have been the only really useful thing and he did not even know what it was.

He decided to read the book on Elements Malfoy had given him. It gave the history that Malfoy had pretty much already explained: that wizards had been doing it for thousands of years, and finding they were pulling energy from a depleting source, made it illegal. Then it had an A to Z guide to each Element; its properties, what it looked like, colour codes…

Harry asked Dobby for his dinner to be taken in the Gryffindor Common Room. By the time it was time for bed, he had finished his holiday readings.

Stars twinkled in a darkening sky, and a breeze ran through the room, rustling Harry's curtains. He lay on the bed on his back, and turned his head to the side to look out the window.

Only, someone was stand there, obscuring his view.

Sirius stepped forward, out the shadows. His face was white and sad, his hair draped down his torso. "Harry. I love you."

Harry stayed where he was, his eyes wide, trying to take every part of Sirius in; every breath, every curve, every shadow the dips made in his plain white robe. "I know. I love you also."

"It's the choices you make now, Harry. Soon you will love another and in them you will find your salvation."

Harry was confused. "What do you mean?" Oh God I'm dreaming; I can't move!

He heard the flutter of parchments and his turned his head in the other direction. A young boy his age was standing there, holding a book in his hands. He looked a bit like Harry, with black curly hair and green eyes. The boy looked up. "You're just like me, Harry, just like me."

"Who are you?" Harry asked softly. Somehow he should not have to ask this, he should already know.

"I am at the end. I am at the end of your journey, and I am at the end of the long line between Dark and Light. Your place now is moving along this line."

"Harry," said Sirius from his other side. "Don't move. Don't go."

Harry looked up instead, still lying horizontal on his back. Ribbons of velvet circled around the limbs of another figure; this one naked, his modesty covered by the twists of velvet and the gathering of feathers. He looked like an angel from heaven, all white and silver. His breath was slow and calming. "I am at the middle, the centre," said Draco. "I am the line between the worlds."

"And if you stay with him you won't go anywhere," said the boy. He flipped a page of the book. "We're so much alike, you and I. Didn't you enjoy talking to me through the diary? Didn't we enjoy each other?"

"Don't go with him Harry," Sirius pleaded. "Anyone but him."

"I want to go with you."v

"But Harry," Draco murmured, smiling at him from the canopy, "he's dead."

"You promise to look after me, Draco?"

Draco smiled, and a white feather spun down slowly to Harry, landing on his chest. "I promise."

The boy with the diary hissed and bared his teeth. Suddenly his eyes turned red and the pupils transformed into slits. "I'll destroy you!" But then Sirius was there, and had grabbed his shoulders, and then they were disappearing, floating away into dense fog.

"Harry," said Draco, "look at me." Harry did. "Do you love me, Gryffindor?"

"Always, Slytherin. Always."

Harry blinked, and Draco was gone.

But Harry was awake. It was dark outside, and there was no fog in his room at all. Harry kept his position on the bed and took deep breaths. Just a dream.

There was a whooshing sound from outside, and Draco Malfoy's head popped around the side of the window. He smirked when he saw Harry. "Potter," he greeted, "care for a ride?"

Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

Malfoy flew into the room on his broom and dismantled. "About midnight." He looked Harry up and down. "What's that?"

Harry followed his eyes to his own lap. He picked up the large white feather and held it out. "Um, a feather?"

"Captain Obvious strikes," murmured Malfoy. "Cute. Okay, come on, get up. Let's do something."

Harry yawned. "Aren't you tired?"

"Nope. I'm bored though. So let's do something; you're the only entertaining person here."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Don't think too much on it. It was either you or Professor Hagrid."

Harry laughed, then grabbed his broom and followed Malfoy outside, relishing the night air as it pushed its soft fingers through his hair.

Only a minute later they were hovering over the sparse mass of the lake; the wind rippled its dark surface, making the reflection of the moon wink at them from below. Malfoy's hair was undulating beautifully in the breeze; Harry was suddenly caught by the sight of him, mantled on his broom and expression pensive as he peered at the water. Malfoy put his arm out away from him, palm facing down towards the water.

Mist shot from his hand and in a slow spiral it curved towards the water. Where it touched the surface more mist grew and icicles appeared, freezing the waves in mid-ripple, whitening the area. The small circle grew to about two metres in diameter, and then Malfoy steadied it by curling his fingers. Slowly he lowered himself down, and gestured to Harry to follow him.

Hovering just above, Malfoy dismantled and stepped carefully onto the circle of ice, mist still being summoned to keep the temperature low. It wobbled a bit as it took his weight, but he steadied himself and grinned up at Harry. Something in Harry broke, then, and he ached for the boy below him. It was stupid really, but the moonlight, the summer air, the water - it took his breath away.

"Look, Potter, I'm Jesus!"

Harry chuckled, a little nervously.

"Are you coming down with me, or not?"

Harry frowned. Why was he hesitant? If he fell into the water it was not a big deal, really; but perhaps it was the embarrassment he was scared of more than anything. He did not want to look stupid in front of the other boy.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. Then, after a short pause, he held out his other hand, smirking at Harry softly.

"Do you trust me, Gryffindor?"

Harry exhaled.

Then he took the awaiting hand, and then levelled himself off his broom. He stepped on the ice sheet.

It quivered. Harry braced himself on Malfoy's shoulders. He looked at the other and said, "Are we friends?"

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "No. I told you before: we are Master and Apprentice." He stared at Harry unblinkingly. "I will teach you to be strong with your Elements, like I am. Watch."

Harry held on even more tightly as Malfoy raised the hand not summoning ice mist. He flicked his fingers and from them grew a white solid substance, like square tissue paper. With every flick on his fingers the square grew and grew, then bent, so that eventually the bottom touched the water and the top was over their heads. It shimmered, sparkled, and curled around them, encasing them in a complete cylinder.

"Life."

"It's beautiful," Harry breathed, glancing all around. Looking above was like seeing the end of a long tunnel at the night sky.

He looked at Malfoy, whose eyes seemed glazed over - concentrating, no doubt - and his heart contracted with some sort of need. His hands ached to touch Draco in an intimate way, his lips quivered with the thought of kissing him. God, he thought, and swallowed thickly.

He leaned forward, and kissed him.

All through his mind was the repeated word: why why why why? But Draco's lips were so soft against his own, and when their mouths opened, Draco's tongue was even softer. It was slow, agonisingly so; and that was a good word: agony. Because that was what Harry felt at that moment, aching as he did, even as he took Draco's bottom lip between his own and sucked gently, and Draco tasted like beauty.

And darkness.

And through Harry's heated mind he belatedly realised he had been using Malfoy's first name in his thoughts.

He craved this kiss; he had wanted this kiss for so long, yet he had not known it until now. Harry brought his shaking fingers to caress Draco's face, and thought about evil things. If Sirius - oh God, Sirius, my Sirius! - had tasted like sorrow, hate and anger, Draco tasted like evil. Lies, betrayal, mistrust, selfishness, darkness, power, ambition.

It was everything Draco Malfoy represented.

And Harry wanted more.

He pulled back, breath coming fast, and nuzzled Draco's face a little. Why? he asked himself. Because Draco was the most beautiful person he had even seen. Because ever since the two had met when they were younger, there had been something strong and heated between them. Every conversion, every touch, every look had been filled with something hot and twisted.

Harry moved back a little. In the dark Draco's lips were parted, his grey eyes glinting strangely.

Harry took a deep breath and whispered, "Do you love me, Slytherin?"

Draco's smile was slow and malicious.

"Never, Gryffindor," he said. "Never."

To Be Continued.