Breakfast at Natalie's

Malfoy, Natalie, and Adriana were enjoying lunch together, but not for long. It was nearly noontime now, and Malfoy had promised to give the queen his answer then. They had tried to explain to Natalie what was happening, but she had regressed to a strange, child-like state, and could only understand that something very exciting would be happening soon.

"More cake?" said Natalie, pointing to the dessert plate.

"Sure, Nat," said Malfoy, cutting her a slice with a lot of strawberries on it. "Here you go."

She grinned at him and dug in with her fork. Adriana cast Malfoy a worried look. Malfoy pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at his empty cup. "Aguamenti!" Nothing happened.

"Didn't we already go over this?" said Adriana, looking exasperated. "Your kind of magic is powerless here."

"I know," sighed Malfoy, stowing his wand away. "I just wish it wasn't. It would be so much easier to get out of here."

"I know," she said. "I know. But I'd better go. I don't think I should be here when...you know..."

"I understand," he said. "We don't want her to suspect anything."

Adriana nodded and quietly left the room.

At exactly noon, the queen strode into the room, dressed in another magnificent purple dress, her hair cascading down her shoulders. Her crown glinted in the light, and she looked very pleased with herself.

"Your Majesty," said Malfoy, standing up and bowing, as he now knew it was the custom to do. Natalie continued to eat her cake, but the queen didn't seem to mind.

"I trust that you have thought about my offer?" asked the queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Malfoy. "I have indeed."

"And?"

"And..." He took a deep breath. "And I have decided that I will accept."

"Very good, very good," said the queen, smiling. "Shall we go to the ceremony then?"

"The ceremony?" said Malfoy blankly.

"Everything has already been set up, for I knew you would not refuse," said the queen sweetly. "Come with me."

"Can I come too?" asked Natalie. "I want to come."

"Of course, my dear," said the queen. "Of course. But you cannot possibly go dressed like that. I have special outfits for the two of you in my closet. I had them specially tailored last night. Come with me."

They followed her into her dressing room, where there was a black tuxedo and a light blue dress made of silk hanging on the wall.

"This is for you," she said, handing the suit to Malfoy. "There are shoes too. And I expect that you will help your sister get ready."

"My sister?" said Malfoy, confused. "I don't have a sister."

"Ah, silly me," said the queen, smiling widely. "How could I forget? You don't have a sister. But you will help this girl, as she must be present at the ceremony. I shall be waiting outside. Do hurry if you can."

She left them in the dressing room, and Malfoy quickly changed into the suit and shoes. Natalie stood in front of the mirror, staring at the dress in awe.

"It's so pretty!" she exclaimed.

"And you get to wear it," said Malfoy. "Now come on, put it on now."

He looked away as she changed into the dress, and then helped her with the zipper. They stepped out into the queen's room where she was waiting for them.

"Fabulous," she said. "Simply fabulous. Now we must go."

They followed her down many flights of steps and through countless hallways until they reached the most enormous room Malfoy had ever seen. It was crammed full of people; it looked like the entire castle had been invited. The noise died down as soon as the queen reached her throne.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," she began. "Thank you for joining us for this very, very special occasion. As you know, I have ruled this kingdom for many years, but alone..." Her speech went on and on, and Malfoy was glad when she finally got to the end of it. "...but now, after a lifetime of searching, I have found my soul mate and king."

She motioned for him to step forward, and the room exploded in deafening applause.

"Hector?" she said, and a male servant came forward with a crown carefully balanced on a red velvet cushion. She turned toward the audience again. "And now if you will all rise and join me in naming our new king."

There was a scraping of chairs and rustling of dresses as the company stood, staring reverently at Malfoy.

"What is your name?" she asked.

Malfoy blinked, and he remembered what Adriana had said about the naming ceremony. "I...I don't remember," he said, shaking his head.

"Not to worry," said the queen smoothly. "I remember. Your name is Alexius."

"Alexius," he repeated, and the whole room echoed him. She reached over and removed the crown from the cushion.

"King Alexius, will you join me, Queen Lila, in co-ruling this Realm?"

"I will, gladly," he answered. He felt the weight upon his head when the queen placed the crown on him. Then she removed a large, sharp sword from the table, and tapped each of his shoulders in turn, then sheathing the sword and presenting it to him. He held it in his hands, testing its weight.

"To King Alexius!" she cried, lifting up a golden goblet filled with sweet wine.

"To King Alexius!" chorused the audience, and everyone emptied their goblets.

Music began to play, and people began dancing.

"You and your, ah, friend here," said the queen, indicating Natalie, "will follow me."

They did so obediently, and once again they returned to the queen's chambers.

She opened a dark wooden cabinet, and drew a dagger from her sleeve, pricking her finger.

"I have not forgotten my promise," she murmured, and the small box in the cabinet opened. Immediately, several venomous snakes jumped out, but three drops of her blood quelled them. She wiped her finger on a towel, and brought the box to a table in the middle of the room. There was yet another chamber, which she unlocked with the key dangling from her golden necklace. Inside was a single bottle filled with amber liquid.

She poured a few drops into the bottle cap and handed it to Natalie. "Drink this, my dear," she said, and Natalie obeyed. Her eyes closed, and she went rigid and very pale. Had it been poison after all?

However, a few seconds later, she opened her eyes again, blinking.

"Where am I?" she said, looking around in confusion. "Who are--Draco? Draco, is that you?"

"My name is Alexius," he said, struggling to control the tremor in his voice. "I am the king of this Realm, and this is my queen."

"What are you talking about?" said Natalie. "What's wrong with you?"

"I fear that she has lost her senses, my queen," said Malfoy. "We may have to remove her to a different chamber until she is well again."

"A brilliant suggestion, my dear," said the queen, with a satisfied smiled. "I know just the place."

"You can't do this to me!" yelled Natalie, struggling against the two guards who were taking her back to the room she had previously stayed in. "Are you crazy, Draco? I'm your sister! Stop! Let go of me!"

Her screams died away as the door was locked.

"You are dismissed," said the queen, waving her guards away. Then she turned to Draco, running a cold finger down his cheek. It took all of his will power not to cringe. "My dear, Alexius, you have no idea how happy I am at this moment."

"I am happy too, my queen," he said.

"Ah, wait, the atmosphere is not right here," she said, going to adjust the blinds. When her back was turned, Malfoy swiped the potion from the table and tucked it inside his pocket with his wand. The queen clapped her hands, and the room was dark except for a few candles, which cast an odd, amber light upon the walls. "Much better."

She stood facing at him, and her fingers prowled around his collar. "Isn't this suit awfully warm?" she asked.

"A little, maybe," he said.

"Well, I think...it would be much more tolerable if we just took off your jacket," she said, removing it in one sweeping motion and discarding it on the floor. Malfoy glanced over at the sword on the table, which was unsheathed and barely visible in the dim light. "There, isn't that better?"

She leaned against him, nearly suffocating him in her embrace. More gently than he thought possible, she kissed him and moaned. Malfoy staggered backward a little, unsure of what to do. Adriana hadn't warned him about this part.

Use your charm, said a voice in the back of his head. Be irresistible.

Unluckily for him, he tripped over the carpet, and fell backward onto the soft bed, advancing things much further than he would have liked. She followed him, stepping out of her dress so that she was standing before him in a silk slip.

"My king," she purred, "you are entirely too perfect."

"You are a gem, Lila," he said, thinking fast. "Truly a gem."

She giggled and kissed him again, ripping at the buttons on his shirt. Their bare skin touched, and Malfoy realized that her heart did not beat. In fact, she was cold and he felt her sucking his warmth away. He somehow managed to maneuver himself so that he was on top and closer to the sword. He kissed her back this time, biting hard on her lip, but she did not cry out or bleed.

"I have a surprise for you, my queen," he said.

"A surprise? I love surprises. You are too good to me."

"Yes, too good," mumbled Malfoy. "Now, close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you to. And no peeking."

"No peeking, yes," she giggled, covering her eyes with her hands.

After making sure that she really wasn't looking, he grabbed the sword off the table and held it high above his head.

"You may open your eyes now," he said, when he was standing directly in front of her. She did as he said, and her eyes opened wide.

"M-my king," she said fearfully, her eyes fixated on the sword. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Where I come from, we have a little tradition," he said, and she relaxed a little.

"And what's that, my love?"

"We kill the evil ones!" he shouted, at the same time bringing the sword down in a slashing motion. He thought he heard someone say, "Now!" but it was probably just in his head. She didn't even have time to blink, and the sharp blade sliced through her tender skin. There was a high screeching sound, and she disintegrated in a cloud of black smoke.

Panting, Malfoy let the sword drop to the ground with a clang.

"You did it!" shouted Adriana, coming out from her hiding place behind the curtain. "You really did it!"

"That was awful," he said, buttoning his shirt back up. "I don't want to have to do that again."

"You don't have to," said Adriana. "She's gone. Look."

She pulled back the curtain, and they watched as thousands of translucent bodies floated into the sky and disappeared into nothingness.

"What about you?" he said. "Why aren't you going?"

"I will," she said. "I want to send you off first though, just to make sure you get home properly."

"Thanks," said Malfoy, taking out the little bottle and uncapping it. "I guess I should drink this."

He tipped the last few drops of the liquid down his throat. It burned like an icy fire through his veins, and he felt the thoughts in his head race. Then it was over and he opened his eyes again to find himself clad in tattered trousers and a shirt that was a few sizes too large.

"You'll have to find your original clothing," said Adriana, who was trying not to laugh. "Come on, let's get your sister out of there."

They found Natalie staring dejectedly at the floor. She looked up when she saw them.

"Draco?" she said, uncertainly.

"Yes, it's me," he said, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry I had to pretend I didn't know you. It was all part of the plan."

"What plan?"

He laughed. "I'll tell you about it sometime, okay? But right now we have to get back before Hermione goes mad."

They changed back into their own clothes, and walked out of the old, abandoned warehouse with Adriana across the now flowerless meadow. They stopped at the edge of the blackened forest.

"Well, I guess this is it," said Adriana. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," said Malfoy, shaking her hand.

"Whatever," she said shrugging.

"What happens now?"

"We go our separate ways," she said, looking up at the sky. They hugged each other, and then Adriana closed her eyes and drifted up towards the clouds until she was just a small speck.

"You really have some explaining to do," said Natalie, as they trudged back through the woods and to the Malfoy Manor.

"You'll never believe it," said Malfoy, once they were back inside the house. "But I think you have some explaining to do too."

"I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?" said Natalie, shaking her head.

"I'm partially to blame," said Malfoy. "But come on, we shouldn't wait any longer."

He grasped the handle and pushed.

----------------------

It was such a relief to find himself back in Madame's séance room. She opened her eyes and surveyed them.

"Well, you certainly took long enough," she grumbled.

"How long were we there?" asked Malfoy.

"About two hours," she said.

"Two hours? But...but I thought we were there for days!"

"I told you, time works differently in the Other Realm," said Madame. "Now, let's talk about my fee."

They paid her, and then hurriedly Apparated back to the house.

"Finally," said Hermione, wrenching open the door almost as soon as they arrived on the steps.

"How did you--" began Malfoy.

"Well, maybe because I've been pacing in front of this door for the past two hours," she said irritably. Then she softened and hugged them both. "Oh, I've been so worried about you! Don't ever do that again!"

She threw her arms around Malfoy and surprised him by kissing him.

"I will, if this is how you act every time I come back," he said, winking at Natalie over Hermione's head.

"That's not funny," said Hermione, giving him a shove. "I really was worried."

"Yeah, Alexius," said Natalie, sniggering.

"Alexius?" said Hermione, bewildered. "Who's that?"

"Oh, you might want to ask him about Lila," said Natalie, smirking and waltzing upstairs to see Cassie and Riley.

"Lila? What is she talking about?" said Hermione, turning back to Malfoy. "Wait, is she...is she your girlfriend?"

"Hermione," said Malfoy, shaking his head, "you are entirely too gullible sometimes. I just don't understand it. Someone with your brains--"

"Oh, shut up," she said, smacking him on the shoulder. She smiled and then kissed him again. "It's nice to have you back. I was going mad."

"It's nice to be back," he said, grinning. "But what's for dinner? I'm starved."

She rolled her eyes at him and pulled him into the kitchen.