The Talented Mr Malfoy

The corridor was quiet and deserted as he walked down, and found the room near the statue of Borgwald the Bizarre, the room he'd been going to every night for so long to learn the ways of Voldemort, his evil master. To finish his training, he needed to do something, and he finally knew what. Her smile, her shiny hair, her sparkling eyes, her chest floated in his mind and pounded against his skull. How could Weasley gotten what he wanted most? That would all change. He would make her break his heart and, at last, his own urge would be satisfied. Permanently. Love everyday from a gorgeous beauty that was... uneducated, at least in knowing who to love.

He opened the door and came in. "Master," he said.

"What is it?"

" I want you to teach me a Succumbing Spell."

Harry sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, watching Fred and George challenge each other at Wizard Chess. The common room was empty, since most people were still at dinner, and Harry was surprised to hear footsteps coming from the Girls' staircase.

Oh, it was Andrea, Fred's girlfriend. She was that kind of girl that did not walk but floated, her dark brown hair always shiny and perfectly brushed and her smile made her eyes twinkle and knocked you off your feet if you weren't ready. Her creamy skin and her bright eyes made her gorgeous. Harry had adored her for the longest time, and was still slightly jealous of Fred for having her. She made you feel like a king when she smiled at you.

Fred looked up and saw her flash her smile at him. Fred, George, and Andrea were all in their seventh year, and had everything going for them. Thanks to Harry's gift of money, Fred and George were planning to open a joke shop sometime next year.

Andrea sat down next to Fred and kissed him, a long, slow kiss that made Harry wild with jealous and made his heart pound against his rib cage. He smiled at her and then ordered his knight to H7.

She pulled up the sleeve of his robe, glanced at his watch. She then pulled a piece of worn parchment out of her pocket and reread it.

"What's that?" Ron asked gesturing at the parchment.

"Oh," she said, "It says I've been nominated for a Model Student award," Fred snorted and Andrea glared at him. This did not surprise Harry at all she was always being nominated for awards, her grades were always perfect, and she was always doing projects and help-outs around the school. He'd often find Andrea and Hermione lost in some conversation about charms and 16th century wizards.

"Well," she said after another look at Fred, "I have to be at an interview for this award at 7:00," the common room was beginning to fill up again, " and it says to come alone. It's almost 7:00 so I had better go." And she did leave, after one more long kiss with Fred, she gave him that sexy wink of hers and left. Harry sat steeped in his jealousy. Maybe he wasn't over her yet.

***

Andrea walked down the hall, looking for the statue of Borgwald the Bizarre. She sighed with relief as she found it. She had been beginning to wonder if this was a trick of some sort. She grasped the doorknob as someone behind her grabbed her and opened the door. The figure thrust her in the room and pushed her on the floor.

"What's going on?" Andrea gasped. The figure pulled out a wand and muttered words over her. She recognized them as a Succumbing spell. The next person she saw she'd love. Who stood above her? She waited for the poison of the Succumbing spell to infiltrate her mind, as she knew it would when she saw the face of the figure above her. It was like being sentenced to lethal injection and having the poison already in her blood.

The figure muttered, "Lumos," and light flooded the room and she saw the face of Draco Malfoy. Pain exploded in her head and his face flashed in her head. Andrea saw Fred's face and frantically tried to hold on to it but it floated away and her arms were useless. She blacked out. However, when she awoke, she only knew love for the person who sat above her, who had waited for her to come to.

She had always hated Malfoy, but now she felt such attraction to him it threatened to kill her unless she could act on it. He spoke her name softly and his voice pounded in her eardrums. She stood up, went to him, and kissed him like she'd never kissed anyone. Or had she kissed someone before...

She pulled him to the floor and the light went out and he undressed her, she him and the were gone, gone in an explosion of lust.

***

As the common room door opened again, Harry looked up to see if it was her and then glanced at Fred. Fred sat hunched over a chair in the very back of the common room, out of the center of any attention. It had been that way ever since a two weeks ago, when Andrea had returned from her meeting. She came back at one in the morning and didn't even seem to recognize Fred. She ignored him completely and was never in the common room anymore. She spent all her time with Draco Malfoy and it made Harry sick to see them kiss in the corridors as Fred and her once did.

"If I can't have her," Harry thought, "I at least want Fred to, not Malfoy."

Fred was a wreck. He walked the corridors to and from classes alone, blindly, ignoring the pleas from Lee Jordan and his brother. His eyes seemed far away and glassy. Sometimes they were filled with tears, especially when they passed Andrea and Malfoy. He was tired, dirty, and extremely irritable. If you talked to him, he snapped at you. He preferred to be alone, because he was constantly on the verge of tears. He barely ate, and his robes hung on him. Not even Hermione could convince him to play a game of Exploding Snap.

Now, Harry glanced at Fred, and his eyes traveled up his pathetic form and Harry slammed his book shut. Hermione looked up from her book at him and knew what he was thinking.

"What can we do, Harry?" she said.

"About my brother?" Ron asked, "Nothing. He's just gotta get over her."

"I don't necessarily think it's that easy, Ron." Hermione said.

"I agree with Hermione," Harry said, "I'm thinking there's some sort of foul play here. Those two loved each other and overnight, she doesn't talk to him, or any of her own friends, and she's already with another guy, a guy she used to despise before now. Something's wrong with that." His voice was bitter, and even Ron noticed it.

"Still like her, eh, Harry?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said quickly. Ron grinned even broader, but didn't say anything else.

"You know what I think," Hermione said, "I think we need to know more. For all of this week, let's 'observe' Andrea. Maybe then we'll be able to find out what's wrong with her."

For that week, they'd be busy. The Observation of Andrea, as they called it, had begun.

***

Harry awoke abruptly in the middle of the night to see a blurry figure standing above him. He put on his glasses to reveal...

"Hermione," he gasped, "What the..."

"Shhhh!" She shushed him, "Get dressed and come downstairs right away." She then went to wake up Ron in the same manner. He did so, and was shortly followed by Ron.

"What is it?" Harry asked as soon as they were in the common room, "What's going on?"

"Look," she exclaimed, pointing at the book, "I think I figured it out. Does this sound like Andrea?

Does not associate with people victim enjoyed before spell.

Extreme personality change.

Seems in a constant fog or sleep." Hermione read off the rest of the endless list, each of them sounding like Andrea.

"That sounds exactly like her," Ron exclaimed excitedly, "What happened to her?"

Hermione's face was grim as she said, 'A Succumbing Spell."

"What's bad about that?" Harry asked.

"It's extremely hard to break. The victim has to be without the person who cast the spell, and the potion you need to give her takes at least a week to make, and besides that, she'll refuse to drink it."

"I've got an idea," Harry said, "if you can make the potion, we can do it. Listen to this." He leaned forward and in the dark of the night, the three friends hatch a plan to save Andrea.

***

Harry lay facedown in the couch, with his wand in one hand, waiting to hear Andrea's footsteps in the hall. Hermione was crouched next to the fireplace, with the potion vial in her hand and he could see Ron's figure on the stairs, ready to get Fred when Harry gave the signal. All three of them had agreed it would be good for Fred to see what was going on so that he would know it had not been Andrea's choice to leave him. They were prepared for battle, but this battle was nothing compared to the battle going on inside Harry's head.

Should he save Andrea for himself or for Fred? Harry was so confused. He at least had other girls in the future, but, in a way, Harry felt that this was Fred's one and only girl. Still, Harry liked her. But so did Fred. He heard footsteps in the hall, his body tensed, and before he could stop himself, his hand went up and he gave Ron the signal. Ron hurried to get Fred, and there was nothing Harry could do now, but save Andrea for Fred. Fred and Ron reappeared on the stairs just as the portrait hole swung open and Andrea walked in. As soon as she was next to the couch, he leapt up and cast a spell that knocked her out.

Hermione leapt up also and came to Andrea's limp body, closely followed by Ron and Fred.

"What's going on," Fred asked, his face pale.

"You'll find out in a minute," Harry said, "We'll let Andrea tell you."

His eyes teared up; "She won't talk to me."

"She will now." Hermione began pouring the potion in Andrea's mouth and lifted her head so that she would swallow it. Hermione stood up.

"Wake her up, Harry," she said.

"Harry stepped forward and pointed his wand at Andrea, "Ennervate."

Andrea's eyes opened slowly and she sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. "What's going on?" she asked. Suddenly some of it came flooding back to her and when she saw Fred, she began crying, gasping.

"Andrea???" he whispered.

"Fred," she said and he hugged her and cried, too.

She kissed him and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He didn't answer. He couldn't, not with his lips pressed so tightly against hers.

***

And there, in the dark of the common room, the whole story had come out. That didn't mean things were back to normal. Oh, no. Things are never that easy.

Sure, Fred and Andrea were back together. But, things weren't the same as before. In fact, they were worse. For the first few day, Andrea and Fred didn't let each other out of their sight. Then things went downhill. Fred was overprotective and Andrea began to find it very irksome and was angry that he didn't trust her. Fred was angry with Andrea for being mad at him. He was just protecting her, because if he had protected her, none of this would have happened in the first place.

"We've got to do something," Harry said.

'About my brother and Andrea?" Ron asked, "They're back together. Why would we need to?"

"Their relationship isn't the same," Hermione said, "We've got to make it the way it used to be."

"Harry, you like Andrea," Ron said, "Are you crazy or just too nice? If their relationship falls apart, it'll be the chance you've been waiting for." But since the night they'd saved Andrea, Harry had abandoned all hope of ever having Andrea. Indeed, he didn't even want her any more.

"I've got an idea," Hermione said but at that minute, Andrea came over.

"Hi," she said.

"You look sad, Andrea. What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

Andrea sat down. "It just isn't the same between Fred and me. I want to fix it so bad, but I don't know how. I need to make it all up to him."

Hermione's eyes lit up, "I've got an idea." She said, and leaned forward and explained her plan.

***

Fred walked down the corridor. He'd gotten an invitation to some sort of party, and was going to be late. Andrea wasn't going. She had some sort of night class she wasn't going to. He had been reluctant to let her go, but figure he needed to. He found the room the party was in. It seemed unusually quiet. As soon as he opened the door, he found out why it was quiet. As set of stone stairs led downward, and he could see a light at the bottom. He walked downward, the door shutting behind him. Imagine his surprise when he found Andrea sitting on a bed at the bottom of the stairs. She was reading a book, and Fred had to admit, she was so sexy, the way she lay on the bed, her robe hanging over her, silky hair flowing onto the bed. She glanced up.

"Fred," she exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you. I got a party invitation that told me to come here. I though you had night school."

She shut the book and laughed, "So did I. But when I got there, I found a note on my desk telling me to come here."

Fred believed her and went to go sit on the bed beside her. She sat up.

"You know, Fred," she said, "I'm so sorry."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "It wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do to stop any of that from happening. I'm sorry I've been so overprotective of you."

"You're just trying to stop that from every happening again. I shouldn't have been mad at you for protecting me." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, again and again. Slowly he slipped his hand down her face and began to take her robe off. Then he took off his own. Naked before each other, he reached for the light, switched it off, and smoothed his hands over her ivory skin. She kissed him back, and before they knew it, they were making love to each other.

***

Christmas vacation came, and things were good. On their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Ron asked Harry and Hermione, "Are you coming to my house for Christmas Vacation." They both nodded.

"Who else is coming," Hermione asked.

"Besides my brothers and sister, one of Ginny's friends, Lee Jordan, and, of course, Andrea."

"I can't wait."

Christmas Morning at the Weasley House was great. Mrs. Weasley was a superb cook, and breakfast was delicious. Everyone was happy and relaxed, except for Fred, who seemed unusually tense. He said he'd woke up with a stomachache and everyone pitied him. Being sick on Christmas morning was no fun.

After breakfast, they gathered in the family room to open presents. Ron loved the Chudley Cannons T-shirt Harry had given him and Hermione was delighted by the Scrapbook of Wizarding History Harry had gotten for her. Everyone watched as he opened his present from Ron, which were broom polish and a Quidditch Self-practice kit. He opened a large, wrapped present from Hermione and found a Glossary of Quidditch Tips. Fred and George got 500 galleons a piece to go towards their joke shop. Harry finished opening his present from the Weasleys [a thick, green sweater and a chocolate cake] when Andrea began to open her present from Fred. Harry stopped to watch. This should be interesting. She unwrapped her present to reveal a handsome wooden jewelry box, with carvings of flowers all around the top. She looked at Fred, who was smiling, and opened the lid of it. Inside revealed burgundy velvet, with several places to place rings and bracelets. She was about to close it when the box spoke to her.

"Look up," it said. She stared at the inside confused.

"Look up," it repeated, "Look up."

"Look up," a different voice said and she obeyed.

Fred had said it. She gasped and began crying. In his hand, he held a box. He knelt down and opened it up. Inside was a diamond ring.

"Andrea Elizabeth Vanatge," he said, "will you marry me?"

She cried harder and nodded to him. "Yes," she whispered. He slipped the ring on her finger, sat down next to her, and kissed her.

Harry looked around at everyone else. Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were crying, they were so happy and Mr. Weasley was beaming. Andrea continued to cry the entire they opened presents. Fred sat next to her, whispering soft words and beaming down at her. She kissed him every once in a while and he smiled down at her, the happiest boy, no, the happiest man in the world.

At Christmas dinner, Mr. Weasley held up his wineglass and tapped the side of it.

"I'd like to make a toast," he said, "To Fred and Andrea. May you live in happiness forever."
"To Fred and Andrea," everyone said and drank from their glasses.

"So," Mrs. Weasley said, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Well," Fred said, "Andrea, George, and I thought we'd go to Diagon Alley and shop for a house and store for the joke shop. A place were we could live above it, and have the joke shop on the ground floor. George could have one half of the upstairs, and we'd," he gestured to Andrea and himself, "have the other half."

'That's sounds fine," Mrs. Weasley said, "we'll all go tomorrow."

"By the way," Ron asked, "When's the wedding?"

"I was thinking," Andrea said, "the second last day of school? We could have it at Hogwarts."

"We'll ask Professor Dumbledore," Mrs. Weasley said, "I'm positive he won't mind at all. The Great Hall would be lovely. We have so much to do. You have do choose the court of honor, your bridesmaids and ushers, the wedding colors, flowers, the dresses, invite the guests..."

"I was thinking a blood red as the bridesmaids' dress color, floor length with spaghetti straps and a slit up the side. We could get roses or carnations to match. I saw a lovely wedding dress in a magazine ad the other day and for guests we'd invite our families and the school..." They were off in wedding talk.

Charlie arrived home and cuffed his little brother on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Fred," he said, "And such a lovely bride you have. She's marrying you?" Fred punched his brother back.

***

The next day, everyone was exhausted. They'd been looking for houses in Diagon Alley and getting stuff for the wedding. The caterer had been scheduled, the menu selected, the band had been reserved, and Prof. Dumbledore had allowed the wedding to be held at Hogwarts. The florist had the arrangements ready. Now, all that was left on their shopping list was one word. House.

They'd been to all but one house for sale, that house was on the very end of the street. The got to it finally. All ready, Harry liked it.

"It has charm," Andrea said. It was about three storied tall and painted white, with green shutters. Inside was even better. With a few magical adjustments, it would be perfect. They bought it that day. Three days later, they were back on the train to Hogwarts.

All nine of them were playing Exploding Snap when the door slid open. Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson strode in.

"Hey, Andrea," said Alicia, who was Andrea's best friend, "Ohmigod, WHAT IS ON YOUR FINGER??!!!" Andrea had just laid down a card and her ring had glinted in the light. She lifted back the sleeve of her robe to reveal her engagement ring. All three of them gasped.

"You're not," Katie said.

"I am."

Harry winced and covered his ears as all four of the girls squealed. It had been one habit of girls he couldn't stand. He didn't mind them always fussing with their hair, or gossiping, or constantly fixing their makeup, but squealing he couldn't stand.

Alicia hugged Andrea right away, then Angelina and Katie did. When they stepped back, the three were crying.

"When's the wedding?" Angelina asked.

"Second last day of school," Andrea said, "Oh, and by the way," she paused for effect, "would you three be my bridesmaids? Alicia, I'd like you to be my maid of honor." The three of them squealed again.

"Really," they all gasped at once.

"Really. Will you?"

"Of course!!!!"

Alicia spotted Fred. "Oh you must be soooo happy!" she said and all three of them gave him a big hug. He looked a little desperate and Andrea noticed.

"Um, girls, can I have your dress sizes so I can order the gowns?" After giving Andrea their dress sizes, the three of them left, chattering away.

"So, Fred," Andrea said, "Who are your ushers and best man? We're going to have 6 people on each side, right?"

"Right," he said, "George is going to be my best man, Lee, Bill, and Charlie are going to be two ushers, and since Percy doesn't want to be in the wedding party, I was wondering if Ron and Harry would be my other two ushers. Would you?"

"Of course," they each said, and slapped each other high five. Harry couldn't wait.

"Who are your other two bridesmaids?" Fred asked.

"Ginny and Hermione are they two I'd like, if they consent." They both did, just as the compartment door slid open and Draco Malfoy walked in.

Malfoy walked in, Crabbe and Goyle towering behind him. "So," Malfoy said quietly, "I heard Fred and Andrea are getting married."

Fred had stood up and went to stand next to Andrea. "That's right," he said, "we're getting married. I still won, Malfoy." To prove it Andrea stuck out her ring. The disgust on his face was visible and he turned around and left.

***

Exams were done, finally, and all that was to come was the wedding of the year. Well, that's what Fred jokingly called it. The night before, Harry couldn't sleep. Ron was sound asleep.

"How can he sleep?" Harry wondered. Harry reached for a thick leather-covered album, and stared at pictures of his parents on their wedding day. Suddenly, he knew what he'd give Andrea and Fred for their present. He leaned over a tapped Ron on the shoulder and told him his plan.

The next morning, when Harry woke up, he and Ron went down to breakfast and then came back into the common room to get their tuxedos. When they stepped through the portrait hole, a big curtain divided the common room into two. Harry and Ron stepped to the left and , luckily, found themselves on the guys' side.

"What's up with the curtain?" Ron asked his brother.

"Oh," Fred answered, 'One of Andrea's crazy ideas." But he grinned. "It's supposed to be bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the actual wedding. Hey, Harry?"

"What?" He was struggling with his suitcoat.

"After you get dressed, will you go over their, get our boutonnieres, and ask Andrea if we're supposed to go down to the Great Hall first or if they are."

"Sure thing."

And after Harry got dressed, he stepped through to the other side. The first person he saw was Hermione who looked stunning in the red dress that Andrea had wanted. Her hair was sleek and shiny and in her hand she held a bouquet of red roses and white carnations.

"What are you doing over here, Harry?"

"Two things," he answered, "We need the boutonnieres and Fred wants to know who should leave first."

"The flowers are over their," she answered, "but you'll have to ask Andrea about who leaves first. She's over there." Hermione pointed towards a group of girls clothed in silky red. You could spot white in-between them.

"Andrea," he called.

"Yes, Harry?" she answered. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was just perfect and her white wedding gown floated around her.

"Um," his mind had blanked, "Oh, yeah, Fred wants to know if we should go down to the Great Hall first."

She smiled," Yep, you guys should be down there first."

So after pinning the flower on his chest, the 1st half of the wedding party headed down to the Great Hall, which looked magnificent. Fred was so nervous, he couldn't stand still. He headed down the isle, muttering to George as they took their place by the temporary altar.

The other five headed to the back of the Great Hall, where they lined up. As the music started, they began to walk down. Harry, who was partnered with Angelina, was nervous, too, but nothing bad happened. Fred was obviously nervous but after he saw Andrea, he instantly relaxed.

"Brothers and Sisters," the priest began, "we gather here today to celebrate the union of..."
The wedding was perfect. Hermione was in floods the entire time right up to the time the priest said, "You may now kiss the bride."

And when Fred did kiss the bride, Harry realized something. No matter what had come between them, they had made it. Magic didn't stop them, nor did evil, nor did Malfoy. They had made it and nothing stopped them. Harry realized something else.

That was what true love is all about.