Taming the Dragon

Chapter 2

Certain Significant Findings

Or

Draco's Wardrobe Troubles

Lynx sat in the second-floor parlour for the umpteenth time, ripping through every history book she could find. It had been two weeks since the day in Lucius Malfoy's office, and she still was no closer to finding the Pentacle. Unless, of course, you count that she could verify that there was no mention of it in any book her uncle now owned.

Determined, Lynx flipped to the index of a very large, very dusty copy of Darke Magicke Historie. Her finger traced the 'P's quickly, leaving a trail of un-dusty page after it. He heart skipped a beat when the word 'Pentacle' passed under her gaze. Quickly, Lynx flipped to the right page, to see a very short and unpromising entry.

The Pentacle is a darke object of very much fame. In this year of 1546, the Pentacle has been found againe after three decades of fervent search. It was last in the possession of Uric the Oddball, and before him, Salazar Slytherin. To say that

The entry stopped, and Lynx nearly screamed in rage. The rest had been torn out. She turned the page, but it didn't continue to the other side. I have to tell Draco that I at least found something, she thought. They had kept up a correspondence since the trip to Diagon Alley, each doing their best to find what the Pentacle was. At least, Lynx was. Draco decided that, after going through maybe ten books, he really couldn't care less, and simply told Lynx he couldn't find anything. His father was always in trouble with the other Death Eaters, so it didn't much bother him.

Lynx snapped the book shut and ran the three flights of stairs up to her room, where she laid the book down again and grabbed a quill and parchment. She wrote him a quick note saying she had found something, and that they should go into Hidden London soon to find a copy of the same book. She might well have found the answer. Lynx put the quill down and whistled to her kestrel, Akasha. She wasn't fond of owls - thought they made too much of a mess. The bird itself was named after a character from a Muggle book she had read.

Akasha flew over and Lynx tied the note to her leg, letting her go out the window to Malfoy Manor, some ten leagues away. Hurry.

Twenty minutes later, Draco heard a tap at his window. He got up, maneuvered mechanically around the junk on his floor, and opened the casement. Lynx's bird sat on the ledge, it's head cocked to one side, looking at him with one beady eye. It screeched and held out its leg. Draco took the note and gave Akasha an owl treat - something she was oddly fond of - and went back to his desk.

Draco would have recognized the quick, almost scrawling handwriting that belonged to Lynx without the bird. He scanned the letter, grabbed his own quill and wrote that he could meet Lynx that day if she wanted. She could come to Malfoy Manor and then his father's carriage could bring them into Hidden London. His own owl sat perched on a stand near the window. The owl had never been fond of Draco, and he usually had to give him quite a few treats to get him to even go.

"Scratch, hey Scratch, hey buddy, come on, wanna help old Draco, hey?" Draco coaxed, approaching the owl slowly. It opened one eye and stared at him. "Hey, that's a boy, let's go! Up!" Draco clapped. The owl opened its other eye, stretched its wings, and stuck its leg out lazily. "Thank God," Draco murmured as he tied the letter to Scratch's leg. Draco picked the owl up and set him on the windowsill. And he stayed on the windowsill. Draco groaned.

"Please? Pretty please? I can't believe I'm begging a bird!" Draco said, grabbing the bag of owl treats. He had to give the owl five of them before it would leave. "I hate that bird..." he mumbled, turning back to his room. With any luck, he thought, Lynx will come up for a minute before we leave. I'd better clean. Draco strode over to a bell rope next to the door and pulled. In a few moments, a house elf knocked on the doorframe.

"Yes, Master Malfoy?" it asked nervously.

"Clean it. If my owl comes back, bring me the note." Draco walked out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him.

Lynx smiled as she read Draco's cramped hand. Not bothering to send a letter back, she changed her clothes and went back into the parlour to grab the old book. She went further downstairs to find her aunt. Her uncle, thankfully, was out. Even if it was with a Malfoy, Damien Lestrange wasn't very fond of Lynx's going out to have fun.

Lynx found her aunt in the sitting room overlooking the lake. She was seated next to the window, the morning sun highlighting the silhouette of her profile. Debra was really beautiful, but so many years living with Damien had stooped her a bit, and sallowed her skin. Her long raven hair was still lush and thick, and a few freckles still crossed her nose.

"Aunt Debra?" Lynx asked quietly. The woman snapped to attention and smiled thinly. Lynx smiled back. "I'm going to Malfoy Manor, alright? Lucius Malfoy's son and I are going into Hidden London for the afternoon. Okay?"

Her Aunt looked positively delighted. "Wonderful! I knew you two would get along. You know, I knew Narcissa in school, and she was the nicest girl! But then she married that Malfoy character." Debra paused to tut. "I don't know what put that notion in her head. Well, have a good time, and if you see Narcissa, tell her I say hello." Lynx nodded and made for the front entrance.

Lynx still wasn't sure how exactly she would get to Malfoy Manor. She had thought about calling a Muggle taxi, but it didn't seem a good idea. The car would probably break down because of the high magic content in the air. It was especially high in the summer. Turning her head, Lynx caught the soft nicker of a horse. The stables weren't too far from the house, and if the wind was right, you could even smell that oh-so-lovely odour of horse crap. Peachy.

At the sound of the horse, a wild notion struck Lynx. She had always been good at riding - why didn't she ride to Malfoy's? Her uncle would be furious, but wasn't that half the fun? Checking to see that no one was around, she hurried down the stone path that led to the stables.

Draco paced anxiously around the parlour. Why didn't that elf bring down her letter? And how long would it take to clean his bloody room? There wasn't that much stuff lying around...not really. He stopped, realizing he was ranting, out loud nonetheless. Just then the poor little elf came into the room.

"The room's done, Master Malfoy. I hopes it's too your liking, sir," she said, grinning. Draco couldn't help it. He smiled. And he couldn't believe what came out of his mouth next.

"Thank you."

"Is you feeling okay, Master?" the elf asked cautiously. She gave Draco a long stare and left the room. Draco shook his head and headed back upstairs.

Once in his room, Draco seated himself near his window, which overlooked the drive. If Lynx should come, that would be the way she got it. Draco watched as a bird flew over the front gate, which was glinting in the s--THE FRONT GATE! Draco shot up and out of his chair. There were so many jinxes on the front gate that if Lynx tried to get in without the gatekeeper, she'd be done for. And it was the gatekeeper's day off! He should have thought about it, he should have known - his parents weren't having company tonight because the gatekeeper wasn't there to see people in! That's why he had the afternoon free! Draco sprinted to the bell pull and yanked hard. The elf came skidding to a halt in front of Draco's door.

"Quick, I'm expecting someone, can you go down to the gate to let them in?" Draco asked hurriedly. The elf's eyes went wide as she nodded her head and ran off down the stairs. Relaxed again, Draco sat back down. As he sat, he caught a glance at his reflection - his was still in his nightclothes. Mumbling to himself, Draco opened his wardrobe and looked at his clothes.

Almost the entire closet was full of black silk shirts and dress slacks, with a few cloaks, and a single, black polo shirt and pair of khaki chinos. Draco quickly pulled on a pair of black pants and one of the less-ruffled shirts. He grabbed a bottle of Slick-Me-Down Gel (from the same company who made Mrs. Skower's Magical Mess Remover) and squeezed some out onto his palm. He rubbed his hands together, then ran them through his hair.

Suddenly he heard the far-off click of the gate as it closed. Draco glanced out the window before going downstairs, but he couldn't see anyone. But he could hear...hoof beats?

The door bell sounded just as Draco reached the foot of the stairs. The Malfoys' butler, Samwise, hadn't got the door yet, so Draco proceeded to answer it himself. He opened the door wide and got a bit of a shock.

Lynx stood on the stoop, her hair tangled and her eyes dancing. In her left hand she held reins, which, as Draco followed them up, were attached to a beautiful stallion. The gelding was a deep, velvety black, with a single white spot running from under his chin, over his chest, and under his stomach. The horse snorted and pawed the ground slightly. Draco took a step back.

"He's harmless," Lynx said happily, reaching up to stroke the horse's head. Draco smiled and laughed weakly - No, harmless. Twenty stones worth of harmless...

"What's his name?" Draco asked, coming outside and shutting the door behind him.

"Nightmare," Lynx said affectionately.

"It's fitting," Draco said, though he had worked up enough courage to stroke the horse's neck.

"You think? I'm not so sure." Lynx shrugged.

"You ready to go?" Draco asked, moving away from the horse. "We can put him in our stables. They're empty, but we're getting a few horses so we have some new hay."

"Er, Draco?" Lynx asked. Draco spun around to look at Lynx.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking we could go into Muggle London for lunch. I know a good place where we can eat pretty cheap."

"Sounds great. Let's just be off quick, so we have enough time to--"

"One thing. Your clothes, they...well..."

"What? What's wrong?" Draco asked hurriedly, glancing down at his body.

"They're too fancy," Lynx said with a small grin.

"They are not! I always wear this stuff," Draco said defensively, putting his hands on his hips.

"Don't do that. It's scary."

"Do what?"

"Put your hands on you hips. And anyway, they might be fine for Hidden London, but in Muggle London you'll stand out like a sore thumb. An extremely ruffled sore thumb," Lynx said, almost apologetically. Draco shrugged.

"I don't have anything else, and anyway, I'm not changing," Draco replied huffily. He spread his feet apart and crossed his arms over his chest, sticking his nose in the air.

"Oh my, my, we are used to getting our way, aren't we?" Lynx said. "Show me where to put Nightmare." Draco looked at her and slowly uncrossed his arms. Without a word, his spun on his heel and walked off toward the stables.

Once Nightmare was settled, Draco started walking toward the gates. Lynx put a hand on his shoulder and spun him around easily. Draco stared.

"You're pretty strong. But what now?" he asked, almost replacing his hands on his hips.

"You still have to change, and it's because I'm a Beater," she said airily.

"I AM NOT CHANGING MY CLOTHES JUST BECAUSE YOU TELL ME TOO!" Draco shouted in Lynx's face.

"THEN CHANGE BECAUSE YOU LOOK LIKE A FOOL NEXT TO ME!" she yelled right back him. "Look at how I'm dressed compared to you! We're not going to a ball!"

"I know that. If we were going to a ball, I'd be wearing a cape," Draco said, but he really did take a good look at Lynx.

She had on dark blue denims which ended in massive flares. Looking closer, Draco realized that there were little pyramid studs around the hems. The jeans were close-fitting, and Draco had to fight to keep a smile from his face. Lynx had a good figure. Her black T-shirt had a square neck that was pretty loose, but the shirt itself was also a little tight. Draco tried not to smile again. Her hair she had styled into crimpy waves, and it fell loosely below her shoulders. Their was a messenger bag - black - slung across her shoulder. Around her neck was a plain silver chain with a tiny charm on it. Draco opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes went back down to her charm necklace.

"The - you're - it's, you're wearing it!" he said, his eyes wide. Lynx looked down at her chest.

"Of course I'm not, you prat. I bought this at a Wiccan supply store, and while it is a pentacle, it's not the Pentacle," she said, exasperated.

"Oh," Draco replied. He felt his cheeks get a little hot.

"So. Are you going to change?" Lynx asked, crossing her arms and leaning all her weight on one leg. "You have to admit, you'll look foolish." Draco sighed in mock surrender.

"All right, you win. But I'm telling you, I haven't got anything else." Draco turned around and the two started walking back to the Manor together.

"So you're Wiccan?" Draco asked after some time. Lynx nodded. "Okay. Not into that subject?" Lynx shook her head. "Right. Anything you can think of to talk about?" She shook her head again. "Not very talkative, are we?"

"I'm thinking."

"Oho! She speaks. What're you thinking about, then?" Draco asked, putting his hands into his pockets.

"A couple of spells I taught myself on how to make clothes. If you really don't have anything else, I'll have to magic you up some." Draco looked at Lynx.

"Isn't that really difficult? I mean, I tried darning a pair of socks once, and I just ended up with two socks sewn together." Lynx broke into a fit of silent laughter. Her shoulders shook as she bent over slightly, her hands over her face.

"What? What?!" Draco asked, bending down himself to see her face. Lynx gasped for air and looked at him.

"The Malfoy Prat-Prince, darning his own socks!" Stating it aloud sent her into another set of hysterics. Draco rolled his eyes.

"It's not that funny..."

By that time they had reached the Manor, and Draco opened the door. Lynx followed him in and up the two flights of stairs to Draco's room.

Once inside, Draco lay back on his bed. "Well. Go on, then," he said, stretching out.

"What do you think I am, a working girl? Whatever ideas you've got in your head, I'd get rid of them if I were you," Lynx said, arching her eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips again. Draco looked at her for a moment. Then he laughed.

"No, you ninny, I meant with the clothes!" he said. "Though I wouldn't mind that, you know. Maybe later."

"You wish," Lynx said, blowing him a kiss. She pointed to Draco's wardrobe. "In there?" Draco nodded, though the wardrobe, at the moment, was not quite what he was picturing. Although, that could play a part in -

"You really don't have anything else, do you?" Lynx asked. She had thrown the doors of the wardrobe wide open and was staring in disbelief at the clothes inside.

"Hate to say it, but I told you so. Though there are a few things I guess I could wear," Draco said. He got up off his bed and walked over to wear Lynx was standing. She reached in and pulled out the polo shirt and chinos. She shook them at him.

"Where we're going, you wear these, you get beat up," she said, throwing them back in the closet. "No joke." Then she looked steadily at Draco for a few seconds. He couldn't help it, but under her stare he started to squirm. Lynx closed her eyes, furrowed her brows and began mumbling things under her breath. She waved her wand once and a black T-shirt flipped from the end into her hand. She tossed the shirt to Draco. "Here, put this on." Draco stared at her.

"What, in front of you?" he asked, turning a little red.

"Bloody hell, you're not getting starkers. Just take your shirt off. Honestly," Lynx mumbled, closing her eyes again. Her lips started to move and her wand flicked - a pair of black cargo pants fell to the floor. She opened her eyes. Draco still hadn't changed.

"What, do I have to do it for you? First you say you wouldn't mind me playing the working girl, and now you're afraid to show your chest? Oi..."

"It's just...well, I'm really pale. And you're--"

"Tan. I know. If you're that embarrassed, I'll wait outside. Tell me if they don't fit." Lynx picked the pants off the floor, shoved them at Draco, and walked across the room. She went into the hall and closed the door behind her.

Hurriedly, Draco swapped his old clothes for the new ones. They fit him perfectly, and his arms, which really did have a good deal of muscle on them, looked quite strong. The black set off his eyes, somehow, and he thought he looked pretty damn good. He flicked a smile at his reflection and went out to meet Lynx. Without looking up, she started talking.

"Get some money, I don't know you well enough to have the heart to treat you to lunch. And dump some water over your head. The gel looks ridiculous." She kept her head bent over an old book that Draco assumed had been in her bag. Draco opened his mouth to protest, but realized she was probably right. He ran back into his room, grabbed a sackful of coins, and splashed water from his washstand on his hair. He looked up into the mirror over it. Now he just looked like a drowned rat. Without tousling his hair dry, he showed Lynx.

"Better?" he asked, holding his arms out and turning.

"Hold still," she said. Her wand came out of the bag, and she waved it once. Draco head suddenly felt very warm. He reached up and smiled. His hair was dry.

"Ready to go then, Madame?" he asked, holding out his arm like a gentleman.

"Surely, monsieur," Lynx smiled and threaded her arm through his. They walked down the stairs and out to where Lucius Malfoy kept his carriages.