Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

Interlude

What Tangled Webs We Weave

It was all a kaleidoscope of swirling images. Images of happy faces, of times when he believed that everything would work out. Back when he still had Her, when She was still there for him.

But He had come in and ruined it. He had convinced him, made Her leave.

She had won against Him. He had been livid, but nothing could have been done under Dumbledore's nose. And He never did understand how She had won against Him.

She had come to him, and He had let him go, let him once again hold Her, to kiss Her and touch Her, to feel Her, to smell Her, to bury his face at the crook of Her neck, to leave flaming trails of kisses on Her, to bring Her to Heaven and back, to lay beside Her after passion, to snuggle against Her, and wishing that it could always be like this, just the two of them together.

But She always left afterwards. At first, He said cruel things about Her when She hadn't come back after a while. But then, He discovered his weakness and told him that She used him for sex, right after She left.

And he believed Him. She was gone, now, he hadn't seen Her since that last time. And He had taken control. Back then, He was in control half of the time, but now, he could barely break His hold. And he could do nothing to stop Him, or get Her back, tell Her that he was sorry, make it all up to Her.

It was too late. He would die a man trapped inside himself, never being able to control his own life, never being able to do what he wanted. Never being able to see Her one last time.

***

Narcissa glanced at her mirror, noting the perfect golden hair, cascading down her back like a waterfall. Perfect blue irises, enclosed around a perfect black pupil. Perfect widow's peak. Perfectly delicate mouth, a perfectly deep red color. Perfectly ivory skin, that seemed paler than ever.

She would give her beauty up to have him home. Lucius had no time during the summer, what with corrupting Draco and all that. But she had managed to live up to her promise and bring him back. Victoria would have been absolutely furious if she didn't.

Ever since three years ago, with the return of You-Know-Who, Lucius had been gone, always. She missed him, missed his touch, his kisses, his hands, how he made her feel like an angel, a god. But ever since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's return, Lucius had been gone. She knew what he did, of course. But she wished that he would stop. You-Know-Who would fall, and then Lucius would be gone.

Nothing was going well. Draco had written, asking her for information on Victoria. And she couldn't tell him the things that truly mattered. She had promised her cousin, and the truth would tear Draco apart.

That potion she had brewed seven years ago had had no effect, either. At least, Draco hadn't been telling her about anything changing. This was especially not good, as Draco needed someone's support on the other side. Pansy couldn't count, though she would be on whatever side Draco was on.

And Lucius, her main worry. He always had been. She worried about him finding out, about him injured, about him caught. It had taken her such a long time to get through to him, to open him up. He seemed so cold to everyone, but then, no one else knew him as well as she did. No one knew the true Lucius Malfoy, except for Narcissa.

***

He had been here for how long? He didn't know. He had lost all track of time ever since...ever since he lost the ultimate game. He had thought that he would be killed, but it looked like He had other plans.

He was in a dungeon, chained against a decaying wall, with mold and other disgusting objects growing on it. All around him were corpses, some with flesh still rotting, others just bone, some turning black with age.

He had been beaten, starved, raped, tortured...The list went on and on, but he couldn't give up. He had hope that Victoria would come. He had promised her so long ago, and he knew she would come.

A rat scampered over to him, sniffing at his filthy robes. Merlin, when was the last time he had had a bath? Or even changed clothes? Dried blood and semen crusted his robes, or what was left of them. The robes themselves were torn in many places, many ripped during acts of lust. When was the last time that life had treated him favorably?

He laughed harshly. The door creaked open. Here He comes, with the daily torture. If he survived this, if he could see *him* one last time, he would tell *him* that he was sorry. He would give anything to look into those hazel eyes with the amber gold flecks in them.

As the spikes tore through his body, reopening wounds newly healed, he screamed loudly. He liked him screaming when He tortured him. Maybe He'll go easy on him. But he doubted it.

***

Lucius looked up at the night sky. His poor Narcissa. The Malfoy hadn't been able to return home, what with all the plans the Death Eaters had had to make. Sometimes, he wondered what life would be like if he wasn't a Death Eater.

He hadn't been there for her for three years. Three bloody years, from the day the Dark Lord had rerisen. Lucius knew that Narcissa waited for him, but it pained him to know that he was the cause of her suffering.

The blond missed lying beside her at night, holding her delicate body in his arms, whispering sweet nothings into her ear as they made love, as the night deepened and darkened, as the stars moved in the night sky. No one could make him feel the same way Narcissa did.

Malfoys weren't capable of love. And Lucius believed everything his father had told him, until he met Narcissa. The Ravenclaw who refused to give up, until she finally broke through his walls and saw the real Lucius. And she was able to melt the ice around his heart, to show him what love is. All because she had saved his life.

***

Remus Lupin tossed and turned in his sleep at Hogwarts. There were happier times once, for all of them, when they were still foolish young men with foolish notions of happily ever after, foolish notions of how love would make everything all right.

He dreamt of the past, of happier times, back when he still had *him*.

***

"You wanted to meet me?" Remus asked.

"Yes," a shadow by the wall replied. "I'm glad Victoria brought us together, Remy, I really am. And you, you're different from all your friends. You're the only nice one. Potter's a hotshot, Black's his sidekick, and Pettigrew's nothing. But you, you outshine all of them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that...well..."

He stepped foward and cupped Remus's cheek.

"You have beautiful lips, Remy," he breathed. Then, he leaned down and kissed them.

Remus was shocked at first, but once he was over it, he eagerly returned the kiss. Passion and love were eminent in the kiss between the two young men as they expressed what they felt for each other in a dark corridor in Hogwarts.

He drew apart.

"Remy, you're everything to me. Everything."

***

Remus woke up to find tears coursing down his face. Oh, the good old days. What he would give to have them back again, to have *him* back. They had never been able to repair their relationship after what had happened, and now, *he* was gone.

They had only spent one night together before everything fell apart, but that one night was pure bliss. Remus wanted to lie in his arms again, to rest his head against his chest, to have those arms hold him and make him feel that only the two of them existed.

Only fools think of the past and what could have been. Remus was in no way a fool, but Fate had never been kind to him. First the lyncathropy, and just when he thought that life was finally letting up, he lost his one true love. Life sucked a lot.

***

The owls swooped around the ceiling, looking for their owners before diving down and dropping parcels, letter, packages, and newspapers to the addressees.

On The Daily Prophet, the bold headlines screamed at Draco.

Eleven Attacks on England in One Night!!! Dark Mark Seen in the Air!!!

Many whispers and fearful glances were exchanged in the Great Hall.

Lucius sure had a fun night.

Draco primly folded the newspaper and set it aside.

Chapter 13

The Candle is Lit

Chilly winds blew fiercely outside. Light snow had fallen, blanketing everything in a thin layer of glaring white, now and then brown from muddy footprints. The corridors of Hogwarts were colder than ever; no warmth was present in the worn stone hallways, even with the extra torches placed into the sconces on the walls.

The term was nearly over. Just one more week, and Yule would arrive. Hermione and Ron had apologetically told Harry that they were going home for Yule, Hermione to protect her parents and spend time with them, Ron just to spend time with his family. The unspoken words of "Maybe this is the last Yule I'll ever have with all of my family" hung in the air. Even Bill and Charlie were going home for Yule.

Attacks in Great Britain were now occurring daily, once with fifteen attacks in one night. The pupils of Hogwarts were now fearful and suspicious of the Slytherins, more so than ever, though none dared to strike, fearing for their families. A dreary and depressive winter had come to Hogwarts, and Draco and Harry were no closer to solving their riddles than when they had first received it.

***

The Monday before the second contest had arrived. Harry and Draco were now frantic, as their riddles were still unsolved. Narcissa had not written back to Draco, which was really agitating the blond. He was going to make a total fool of himself at the second contest, and the Slytherin could not afford that. Not unless he wanted to make Lucius angry, so angry that even Narcissa wouldn't be able to pacify him.

On top of that, on Yule, there would be a Yule Ball, and the champions were required to attend with partners. As there would virtually be no students left at Hogwarts since break started the day after the second contest, Harry didn't understand why there would still be a ball. At least he would be able to show off the fur cloak from Sirius.

***

Draco scowled in his mind as he walked with Pansy to Care of Magical Creatures, Crabbe and Goyle tagging behind. A warm cloak was wrapped around the blond; it was cold enough to see one's breath. They were going to finish their studies on nymphs today, which meant a trip to the lake to see his favorite Limnad.

They were the last to arrive; as soon as the little group set foot by Hagrid's cabin, the class began.

"Today'll be the last day we study nymphs! As we haven't covered Limnads yet, we'll do that today. Now, can 'nyone 'ell me wha' type o' nymph a Limnad is?"

Granger, of course, rose her hand into the air.

"Hermione?"

"A Limnad is a type of Naiad, water nymphs. Limnads are nymphs of lakes, and they are the only evil nymphs. Limnads lure humans to their doom by mimicking screams of distressed people."

"Very good, Hermione. Five points to Gryffindor."

Granger beamed.

***

As the class walked to the lake, Hagrid explained about Limnads in detail, how they were born, what they liked to do, how they lived, etc. All too soon, they arrived at the lake.

A brown head bobbed out of the water, surveying the class with calculating eyes.

"Now, boys, take an 'armuff an' put it on when she sings!"

All the boys scrambled for an earmuff that wasn't pink and fluffy, as Hagrid had borrowed them from Professor Sprout. All except Draco. Blaise, seeing the opportunity, opened her mouth.

"Now!"

All the boys who had grabbed an earmuff simultaneously put it on their heads. The girls looked at Draco curiously, with Pansy glancing at him with a questioning gaze.

A beautiful and heartwrenching tune floated out of Blaise's lips. Her eyes might have been on the other boys, but Draco knew who this song was for. He smirked at the Limnad when she saw thta he wasn't trying to jump into the lake.

The blond deliberately walked to the edge of the lake and squatted down, looking Blaise square in the face.

"It won't work on me, dear," he whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

The singing stopped abruptly. The brunette looked at him with an appraising gaze.

"So the rumors are true. You have their blood," Blaise said in a strained whisper.

"Aren't we the smart little Limnad," Draco drawled back.

As he stood up, the Slytherin could feel the class's gaze on his back. No doubt Granger had already figured it out, maybe even Hagrid, and perhaps Pansy. However, when the blond turned around to face the class, he was met by more questioning gazes than he had previously thought, Granger and Hagrid included, though Pansy seemed to have caught on.

"Professor, why did the Limnad sing and..."

Granger was abruptly cut off as Blaise splashed icy-cold water on the class, leaving everyone drenched in freezing water, no doubt already catching pneumonia or at least a cold. The brown head ducked into the water just as fast, but not before Draco drew his wand.

Several moments later, a scream echoed through the air as Blaise resurfaced. Pale skin was now an ugly shade of red, and hatred shot out of her eyes.

"Someone, help me get 'er out!" Hagrid boomed.

Of course, Potter, Weasley, and Granger rushed to help the half-giant, trying to pull Blaise out of the water, which wasn't working very well, as the Limnad was fighting tooth and claw to escape their hold.

"Someone, get Madame Pomfrey out 'ere now! Whoever does so will get twenty points fer their 'ouse!"

Spurred on by the incentive of twenty points awarded to their House, almost half the class ran up to the castle, each trying to be the first one to reach the Medi-witch.

Pansy took the time to talk to Draco.

"So it is true. You're part Veela."

"With your display of wits, Pansy, dear, you could have ended up in Gryffindor."

Pansy chose to ignore that particular remark. Just then Longbottom ran out of the castle, leading Madame Pomfrey to the lake.

"What happened here? All of you should be in dry clothes!"

The students quickly cast Drying Charms on their clothes.

"Is this it?" Madame Pomfrey asked in an indignant voice.

Hagrid just pointed at Blaise.

Madame Pomfrey quickly started applying healing spells to the burns until they finally receded to a faint pink.

"Who burned her? That could have been fatal!"

"Malfoy did, Madame," Granger spoke up.

Draco glared daggers at the Gryffindor as the Medi-witch rounded on him.

"Mr. Malfoy, I don't believe you! Purposely causing harm to a Limnad? You should be suspended!"

"Malfoy, that's fifty points from Slytherin and detention fer a week wi'h your Head o' 'ouse."

Draco could see Blaise mocking him behind Hagrid.

"Yes, sir."

***

Potions that afternoon was not something Draco looked forward to. No one in Slytherin did, as the whole school was biased against them now. Dumbledore might appear to be sympathetic, but he had been a Gryffindor, and he protected the other three houses more than Slytherin could ever receive.

If Snape was here, then at least they would have one adult in this place who wasn't against them just because of the House they were in. Everyone judged Slytherins by their House, not by their true personality. Blaise was an arse, true, but there were quite a few Slytherins that would have fitted in in other Houses.

Pansy, for instance. She was actually a nice and smart girl, when she wasn't annoying Draco with her endless declarations of love. If they had never met, no doubt she would have ended up in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, with him.

Millicent Bulstrode looked tough, but she was as tame as a kitty when she was with people that she trusted. Pansy and Milicent were on quite good terms, and Draco had seen times when Millicent let her true self out. Once was at the party in Fourth Year, and they had had a pretty decent conversation, with Millicent actually acting like a regular girl.

Crabbe and Goyle weren't as dumb as they looked. Draco had started observing them a bit more closely this year, and he saw that Pansy was right. When they were by themselves, they actually could maintain an average conversation. The two were just slow on the uptake, nothing else. They only pretended to be dumb, as it was a good way to gather information. In fact, Draco had caught them once talking about Polyjuice Potion in intelligent terms, proving the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover." They were a bit poor in marks, but if they acted like themselves, no doubt they would receive low B's in all their classes.

And of course, Draco himself. True, Draco had once believed everything Lucius told him, and acted like an insufferable git. But now, he found that he liked his true personality more and more. He was intelligent, handsome, rich, aristocratic, with a sarcastic side, but nonetheless, not the evil git everyone believed him to be. The Slytherin would probably be irresistible if he could show off his real personality.

But stuck in a dungeon where you didn't even have your own friends to stick with, while everyone else hated and loathed you, was not something Draco wanted to go through. Of course, he couldn't afford to fail Potions, as Lucius was already nagging at him about his grades. He had earned Cruciatus several times for that, and the blond did not care to repeat the experience.

The Slytherins shuffled to class, keeping to themselves as they entered the classroom. They had been sticking together more these days, with everyone looking at them as if the Dark Mark was already branded onto them. True, most of them would probably receive it once they left school, but there were a few of them who didn't want to, who had no control over their path in life. Like Draco.

Today, they were brewing a Power Potential Potion. Kyon had explained to them that once they drank it, they should be able to see everyone's magical auras. The auras would have two layers. The outer layer showed the amount of magical potential they had, meaning how powerful their magic could become. The inner layer showed the best kind of magic suited for the individual. Kyon had written the meanings on the board and had expected an elaborate 1½ foot essay on their power potential and a 2 foot essay on the uses of a Power Potential Potion.

There were quite a few ingredients, including several types of blood. Draco also recognized the basic ingredients for a Truth Potion. A Truth Potion wasn't as powerful as Veritaserum, as it didn't last very long, no matter how much ingredients one uses. The longest that one ever lasted was one hour.

Draco carefully measured the dragon blood as Potter chopped the poison ivy, wearing dragonhide gloves. There were several poisonous ingredients, but they would be neutralized once the potion was complete.

Draco wondered vaguely why there were so many ingredients and decided that it was probably because the range was broad, so the potion had to be thorough. He did not like it when he had to measure 3.0281 mililiters of nymph saliva, as he spent five minutes pouring the liquid back and forth, trying to obtain the exact amount.

Potter sniggered, of course, until he realized that he had to chop a half of a Venus Flytrap into pieces exactly 2.54 centimeters long, 0.8723 centimeters wide, and 1.9763 centimeters tall. That was when Draco smirked. The Gryffindor deserved a taste of his own medicine.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Weasley shaking as he gingerly picked up Black Widow Spider legs and dropped it into the cauldron as Pansy had definitely refused to touch it, probably saying something to the effect of girls are too delicate to touch nasty critters like spiders.

inally after two and a half hours of painstaking work, Draco and Harry had finished their Power Potential Potion. The potion was completely black, darker than the color of the night sky, darker than Potter's hair. It was pure black, like a void.

Potter gingerly scooped a small amount of the opaque potion, looking as if his ladle would disappear if he left it in the cauldron too long. The Gryffindor raised it to his lips and took a tiny sip. After seeing that Potter didn't seem to be experiencing anything abnormal, Draco also ladled a bit of the potion and drank it.

His vision turned blinding white for a moment, then everything reappeared. That is, with their magical auras around them. Potter had a white outer aura, meaning that he could hold an unbelievably amount of power, not suprisingly. His inner aura was black, with a tiny tint of red. A black inner aura meant that the person was suited for wandless magic. Quite predictable.

The Slytherin then looked down at his hand. What he saw shocked him. The outer aura was a pure white, like the color of unicorn hair, while his inner aura was also black, though with a tint of gold and a tint of lighter black. This was surprising, to see that he had the potential to be just as powerful as Potter, maybe even more.

Draco looked around the room. Crabbe and Goyle had red outer auras, which meant above-average magical power. Their inner auras were green, meaning that they were good with Transfiguration. This was proving to be interesting.

Pansy had an outer aura of yellow, the potential of an average Witch. Draco felt a bit disappointed in her. Her inner aura was blue, a sign of exemplary performace in Charms. The Slytherin wasn't too surprised about that, as he did receive his book due to a very advanced charm cast by Pansy in Second Year.

Weasley, though, shocked Draco. He also had an outer aura of white. Maybe Weasleys could be as powerful as Potters, but it was obvious that they never develped their magical power. The redhead's inner aura was black, though with a tint of silver. Thank Merlin that he had a tint of gold; it was surprising that Weasley might have more potential than Potter, but Draco doubted that the Gryffindor could surpass him.

***

Harry, seeing that Malfoy was making no move to sample the potion, scooped some himself and sipped it. Instantly, his vision went a blinding white. He was not going blind, was he?

All of a sudden, everything reappeared, much to Harry's relief. The Gryffindor turned to look at Malfoy, who was ladling up some of the potion. His outer aura was the purest of whites, meaning that he possessed a great amount of potential. The white surrounded an aura of black, though with a tint of gold and light black. The board didn't say anything about tints. The raven-haired boy wondered what that meant. He knew that the black meant Malfoy was good with wandless magic, but the tint of gold and light black must mean something, too.

Harry turned to look at Sirius. His outer aura was a bright red, signaling him to have the potential to be above average. The red enveloped a green, a sign of good Transfiguration, which was not surprising, considering that he did become one of the Marauders.

The Gryffindor looked at Ron. Ron also had an outer aura of white, and Harry felt glad for him. His inner aura was black, the sign of potency in wandless magic, though there was a tint of silver on the black. Harry never realized how powerful his classmates could become. Everyone had always told him that he was destined to be a great and powerful wizard, but Ron...the other boy could have a true chance to be in the spotlight.

Hermione had an outer aura of blue, meaning that she was one level above the people with a red outer aura. Her inner aura was white, which meant that she was good at all White Magic.

Just like Hermione, Harry thought.

Neville was very surprising, also displaying an outer aura of blue. Harry had known that the boy had something in him, even though he didn't show it. Neville had become good at Potions, since Kyon didn't torment him the same way Snape did. His inner aura was purple, a Potions expert. If Harry hadn't seen Neville's work for the past term, he would have thought that the potion was malfunctioning.

The Gryffindor looked down at himself. He also had a white outer aura, which wasn't a surprise to him at all. The black of his inner aura contrasted sharply with the white, and Harry could make out a faint tint of red in the black. If he wasn't wrong, then Malfoy seemed to have the potential to be the most powerful out of the three of them, and that would not be good, as there was a good chance the Slytherin would join Voldemort.

***

On Thursday, Narcissa wrote back. She had taken her time, as she wanted to make sure that she didn't write anything that she wasn't supposed to.

Finally, Draco thought.

Victoria York is my and Lucius's cousin. She went to school at the same time as Tom Riddle and was in the same year, though she was in Gryffindor. She won the Founders' Pride against Tom Riddle. Vic was Head Girl, again opposite Tom Riddle. She has black hair and Malfoy Grey eyes, and she has a scar on the right side of her face, from her eyebrows to her chin. Vic was orphaned at the age of eight and was adopted by a Muggle couple, though she is Pureblood. She is Chinese.

Silver eyes, a family trait...

Orphaned, yet held no hate...

Gryffindor, yet stronger...

Love made her fonder...

A Slytherin she was to hate...

Though that was not her fate...

Gryffindor Head Girl, she was...

Slytherin Head Boy, he was...

Not a Malfoy, though with their blood...

Raised by Muggles, though with no Mud...

So the person he was looking for in a painting was Victoria. She matched quite a few of the lines in the riddle. Yes, his mother was the best mother in the whole world, helping him with a most important contest. And he was right. The Victoria York he saw during the Family Tree Potion was her.

***

On Friday, Harry decided to go to the Library, sure that there was some kind of book that told of the Hogwarts Head Boys and Head Girls. While lingering by the section that housed Hogwarts: A History, Harry saw a spine that caught his eyes.

The Complete List of Hogwarts Head Boys and Head Girls.

It must be his lucky day. But who knew how many combinations of Slytherin Head Boy and Gryffindor Head Girl were in that book? Harry decided to start from recent times.

As it turned out, he didn't see any combos of Slytherin Head Boy and Gryffindor Head Girl until he reached the year 1945. Under the heading of Head Boy was Tom Riddle - Slytherin, while under the heading of Head Girl was Victoria York - Gryffindor.

Brilliant and handsome, not always known...

A tough life and bad decision he made...

With bad consequences up to date...

Slytherin Head Boy, obviously so...

Gryffindor Head Girl, that was the one...

Now spreading terror and destruction...

Tainted by power and corruption...

Once stopped but now come back...

Great powers he doesn't lack...

The quotes from the riddle sounded exactly like Tom Riddle, especially with the part about telling the painting of him the name Victoria, since the riddle did imply that the two were once romantically involved. Now, the book didn't mention where the painting of him might be, did it?

It did. Harry found it in the front of the book as he sifted through the huge volume.

Paintings of all the Head Girls and Head Boys have been made and are on the eigth floor of the castle. The oldest paintings are in the south wing, with the newer ones in the middle. The north wing is yet to be filled.

Harry had been called lucky before, as he had escaped Voldemort every time he met the Dark Wizard, but surely he wasn't this lucky?