- Rating:
- PG
- House:
- Astronomy Tower
- Characters:
- Draco Malfoy Harry Potter
- Genres:
- Action Romance
- Era:
- Multiple Eras
- Spoilers:
- Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets
- Stats:
-
Published: 08/06/2003Updated: 08/06/2003Words: 874Chapters: 1Hits: 613
Keeper of the Sword
Princess Cora
- Story Summary:
- Many years after graduation, Harry and Draco again find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield. Yet this time, it really is a battlefield, and love, jealousy, and vengeance twist their way into the scheme. Old hatreds come up again, and new crimes don't make the situation better. Perhaps the only things that can are an Princess of Egypt who's actually Irish, a magical sword with Harry's name on it, and a stray raven.
Chapter 01
- Posted:
- 08/06/2003
- Hits:
- 613
- Author's Note:
- Thanks to Eternal MoonPeach Goddess and voldemortsucks18 for reviewing on FF.net =^..^= I don't know if this should really be in the Tower... It's not strictly romance, but it's too short for Schnoogle. Ah, whatever.
*~*~*~*
Chapter One
In the Land of Dreams
Fire. There was fire all around her. She could feel the warmth, knew she had to get out of the mansion, but was consumed by such a strong despair, it was taking over her senses. She watched the paintings and furniture burning, dimly aware that she had no clue who these people were, but feeling the loss and sadness so strongly there wasn't room for anything else. She stared around in horror, felt the light lick of a flame upon her left cheek....
Princess Zalika's eyes snapped open. She was apparently sleeping rather peacefully in her bed in Cairo. She snuggled back under the covers, shivering a little. She could still feel the echoes of the terrible sadness...
The next night, she nested herself in the covers once more. The summer day of a eleven-year-old princess was frustratingly boring, and Zika (as she was called), having reflected on the dream of last night, decided she would rather have exciting dreams like that than tame ones.
To no avail. Her dreams were wierd and happy, but not exciting. It was just as well she didn't remember them any more - except the dream about the swordfight, when she was four. Ah, that one she remembered well.
The tall man was slashing, hitting, and she barely had enough skill to block him. Bits of her clothing, strangely all black, were snipped off. The man yelled not to be careless. She felt anger. A strong sense of anger, almost hatred. Suddenly
she was the one slashing, attacking, and fighting in furious swipes. But the man was too good, he took out his wand, and -It wasn't until a month later, when Zalika finally got to start school again. Zika liked school. She had friends at school, not very many, but they saw more to her than just an Egyptian princess. Her favorite teacher, Tamara Seij, had recently gotten married to a British man named Bill Weasley, so they would have to call her Professor Weasley now. Zika laughed at the thought - Tamara, with her almond-shaped Nile-green eyes, bronze skin, and wavy black hair, could not look less like that English name.
But then, Zika wasn't exactly Egyptian herself. She'd been living there all her life, so her skin had taken up a tan, but her short hair was only a dark bronze and her eyes were sky blue. In fact, she was only a quarter Egyptian - her grandmother on her dad's side had been born in Alexandria. The rest of her family was pure Irish.
After a lonely weekend, Zika lay down her head on the pillow, glad to be heading towards another Monday.
Humiliation. Once, she had laughed at them, been on the top, but now she was the lowest of the low. The fire had destroyed everything, and nearly destroyed her. Now there was only pain, only hurt, but the kind of hurt that came from the inside. She saw someone else, someone she hated, taunting her about the burn scar that ran up the left side of her face. Never in her life would she have thought that she could feel this miserable. This humiliated. This lonely.
Zalika was even happier on Monday. The dream had made her think. What things do I have to be thankful for? My friends, my father and mother who care for me, my cats, my wonderful school where I can be myself, magic. I have magic! Zalika spent a few moments being sorry for the Muggles, and then some longer moments being heartily sorry for the Squibs. It's worse not having something when you know it exists, she thought.
Humiliation. When will the torture end?
Winter passed, then spring, in a blur of memories. Zalika turned twelve, and she reflected with sadness that this year went by like a blur. Graduation, and celebrating with her friends, before going back to her almost empty palace and trying to get some sleep.
Soon. Soon the torture will end! One last train ride... and then where would she be? Her mother said something about an apartment. Oh well. Soon they would stop looking at her, with those eyes, full of malice or pity. She could take the malice, but she just couldn't take the pity. Damn them all.
Zalika turned in her bed. She murmured, half in the dream, and half out, "It's all your fault, you took everything for granted. Look on the bright side." She knew now that these dreams were not of her life. She recognised none of the places or people, yet they felt familiar to her. She hoped that this person really didn't exist... and she turned over, and into a dreamless sleep.
Several countries away, Draco Malfoy, barely seventeen years old, also turned over, in his little bed in a tiny apartment. "It's all your fault, you took everything for granted. Look on the bright side." He blinked in surprise. He hadn't been asleep, only remembering the train ride home yesterday. He shuddered and drew the blankets closer around him. Take things for granted? he thought. What do you mean? But there was no more voice in his head. He was all alone again.