However Far Away - Part II of Romance, Slytherin Style

Romance, Slytherin Style - Part II

However Far Away
Chapter Eight

By Sea Isle Witch

Draco sat against the headboard watching Pansy sleep. She was lying on her side with the slightest hint of a smile on her face. She was blissful, and that was all that really mattered to him.

I need to make sure she stays this way and that no harm comes to her.

Draco rubbed his temples while considering the events of the past six months. He had learned to compartmentalize his experiences, filing together the memories that could be of use to him in the future and moving his darker episodes to the back corners of his mind, hoping to never think of them again...

*
*

"Run, Draco!"

Run! Get to the gates! Don't look back; your life there is over.

Run! Damn! Where do I go?

Home.

"Mother! Dumbledore is dead! Snape killed him!"

"Draco!"

"I didn't do what he told me to do! The Dark Lord is going to kill me!"

"No, Draco, no!"

"Wait! I followed the plan; I did get the Death Eaters in. That has to be good, right?"

"Yes, yes. That is good. Now, what shall we do?"

"Hide! We need to hide, Mother!"

"We cannot hide from the Dark Lord. He will find us wherever we go."

"He's going to kill me!"

"No, Draco. I will not let that happen! I will never let that happen. Were you seen? Does anyone suspect you had anything to do with it?"

"Yes, Dumbledore's people saw me. Snape made me run out of the castle with him. There was fighting, but I know I was seen by some students too."

"The Ministry will be told. You will hide from the Aurors when they come. I will not have my husband and my son in Azkaban!"

"Where? Where can I hide?"

"Think, Draco, what was your very best hiding place as a little wizard?"

"It was in the..."

"No! Do not tell me! If I do not know, they cannot get it out of me, and you will be safe. All I want is for you to be safe, my son. What have our lives become? Your father imprisoned, you running for your life, and me...being forced to... No, I will not speak of it."

"Forced to do what, Mother?"

"To...live without my wizards, of course."

"Right. We need to make the manor Unplottable! Then the Aurors and Death Eaters cannot find us!"

"Yes! The spells for Malfoy Manor are written in a book in the library, except I do not know which one. The Aurors breached our security once, but we will not allow it again! Come to the library, Draco; we must search for it right away!"

"In a book? Father told me about a book when I saw him last. It's called The Future of Wizards in Britain or something like that. I didn't know why he was telling me about it, but maybe that's where the spells are hidden."

"Accio The Future of Wizards in Britain! That cannot be the name."

"Mother! The gate wards are chiming! Someone is at the gates!"

"Did you remember to seal the gates when you came home?"

"No! I forgot!"

"You were running for your life, Draco; you had other things on your mind."

"They are coming to the door!"

"Hide! Don't come out until you hear me sing for you, like I did when you were younger. Do you remember?"

"Yes!"

"Run, Draco!"

~

Everything might be different right now if Snape hadn't killed him. Damn Snape! Maybe there could have been a way out. How am I going to live now? My options are limited to either a slow, painful death by torture or the gradual insanity of imprisonment. What's worse?

What if I just disappear? I did want to travel, but as a Malfoy. I thought about playing professional Quidditch too, maybe even buying a team. Or being like father, a governor on important boards and influential at the Ministry. Now I'll never get to do the things I want.

I'll never see Pansy again. Some other wizard will have what's mine, what I've been waiting so long for...her pure-blood virginity. She will love someone else. She will forget all about me.

I'll let him kill me. There's no point in living now. I can't be a Death Eater. I can't go to Azkaban. I cannot live knowing that she's with someone else. I must die.

No, I must find a way out! I will have my life. I will have her. She will wait; she said she would. I believe her.

~

"Come out; come out, my little dragon. Come out; come out, my little dragon."

That's mother singing. I hope she remembered to seal the gates. I wonder if it's really all right to go out. I'll Disillusion, just to make sure it's safe.

It's quiet and dark. Where is she? There's a light on in the drawing room.

"Do you really think you can help my son?"

"I have a plan, Narcissa."

"Please, I will do anything; just keep Draco safe."

"I will do my best for you, Cissy."

Who is here? Is it Snape? "Mother?"

"Draco? It is safe. Let me see you."

"Finite Incantatem."

"Professor Snape is here. He has a plan to help you...with the Dark Lord."

"Why? Why does he want to help me?"

"I have several reasons, Draco. None of which I will reveal to you now."

"Draco, Professor Snape is going to take us to the Dark Lord. He can help you..."

"Are you both mad? If I go there, I will be killed! I won't go!"

"Watch your tone, Draco. Now..."

"He...will...kill...me if I go there!"

"Then you will not go; we will go away instead."

"There is a greater possibility of being murdered or sent to Azkaban if you foolishly choose not to go. You must come with me, Draco. You must set things right with the Dark Lord, or he will find you, no matter where you go."

"No! He will kill me!"

"Severus, what will happen to Draco?"

"Argh! Mother! The Dark Mark is burning! He's calling me! I must hide! I will not go!"

"You must go, Draco. I will be with you. We are leaving, Narcissa."

"I am going with you, Severus!"

"No, you will not go. He is calling us; you are not allowed. It will be better for Draco if you are not there."

"Mother!"

"Draco, be clever. Do not say or do anything to provoke the Dark Lord."

"I don't want to go!"

"I know, Draco. I know."

"Keep looking, Mother."

"I understand. I love you!"

~

"...Finally, when I reached the tower, I surprised everyone there. Draco had disarmed Dumbledore and was ready to do it, but there was no time; the Aurors were right behind me. Before Dumbledore could react, I cast the spell. It was the only way to ensure your plan, my Lord."

"Dumbledore should not have been underestimated, even disarmed, Snape."

"Yes, my Lord."

"However, your presence is irritating, Malfoy! Crucio!"

Kill me! End it! Kill me!

"Get up!"

I can't stand. I just can't. I have to. Get up! He's going to do it again. I want to die. Just kill me.

"You are just like your father! A failure! What use are you to me now, Malfoy?"

None. "I shall serve you, my Lord, in any way you require."

"My Lord, please pardon my interruption. Might I make a suggestion?"

"What is it, Snape?"

"He can be of use in my work serving you, my Lord. Malfoy has always been competent in potions making."

Yes! I am!

"We could use an alternative in case something unfortunate happens to you, Snape."

"Precisely, my Lord."

"Take him and teach him. Make him useful."

"Thank you, my Lord. Draco..."

"Thank you, my Lord. I will serve you well."

~

"What is this place, Snape? Where are we?"

"You are my apprentice; therefore you will call me Master."

"Master! That's ludicrous! I will not call you that! You are not my master!"

"You will do as you are told, Malfoy. The Dark Lord has entrusted me to teach you properly. You will respect my authority and call me Master."

"I will not!"

"I will take you back to the Dark Lord; perhaps Fenrir Greyback has a use for you."

"No! Where is this despicable place?"

"Somewhere safe."

"We can be safe at Malfoy Manor."

"I found your home easily, Draco."

"I cancelled the security spells. I didn't have a chance to recast them before you showed up."

"Hmmm..."

"You would be far more comfortable at Malfoy Manor, Master, not to mention that the food is excellent."

"Indeed."

~

"Mother!"

"Draco! Thank you, Merlin!"

"Professor Snape is to teach me to make the potions the Dark Lord needs. He will be staying here."

"Thank you, Severus. You have not let me down, and I am forever grateful."

"I made a promise. I needed an apprentice. That is all."

"Mother, I need to talk to you...privately."

"Excuse us, Severus."

"One moment, Narcissa. Draco, do not try to leave. I will not take the wrath of the Dark Lord if you decide to do something foolish. I will hunt you down before that happens, and you will not like the consequences."

"Severus! Do not threaten my son! Draco will not leave! He is home, and this is where he should be."

"Very well, Narcissa."

"If you will excuse us for a moment..."

~

"He cast the Cruciatus Curse on me! He almost killed me!"

"You are home now, Draco. Nothing will happen to you here. You are safe. Drink this elixir; it will help with the pain. I used to give it to your father when he would come home in the same condition."

Father. He's been through this.

"I thought I was going to die."

"I never wanted this for you. We never thought the Dark Lord would be resurrected."

"Why did he have to come back?"

"I do not know, but his return has torn this family apart. I should not speak ill of the Dark Lord."

"I ache all over, and I hurt my arm too."

"You need a long, hot bath and to be tucked into bed. Show me your arm. It is bruised, but not broken. I will send for a Healer."

"No, no Healer."

"I will apply the bruise paste after your bath then."

"Did you find the book?"

"Yes, I have the spell. It was in a book called The Future of Wizarding Britain."

"I knew it was something like that."

"You were always clever, Draco. We must perform the spell together. Only you and I shall know the location of Malfoy Manor."

"What about Snape? How will he find it?"

"We will find a way without letting him know the location. Let me think on it."

"Let's cast the spell, Mother. I don't want any more unexpected visitors."

~

"I will show you to your chambers now, Severus; I will make sure you have everything you need."

"That would be most welcome. After you, Cissy."

"Thank you, Severus."

What is this Cissy stuff all about? He better not try anything with my mother! I better go with them before my bath, just to make sure, although I can barely walk. Damn!

~

Merlin, please keep her safe.

Her gorgeous eyes, her beautiful smile, her pouty pink lips.

Mmmm... Her silky skin, her perfect breasts...

I need her.

I cannot go to her; I have to stay away. Snape is watching me. They might even be watching me with magic. Bellatrix cannot ever know. She wouldn't think twice about casting the Cruciatus Curse on Pansy; she's done it to me, her own nephew. I will never let anyone hurt Pansy.

Remember what I told you, Pansy. Wait for me.

~

"The east wing is not in use, but the kitchens are well suited for potions making. Here we are. What do you think, Severus?"

"It's more than adequate, Cissy."

Cissy again! Why does he think he can call my mother Cissy?

"I will leave you to your work. Draco, learn all you can."

"Okay, Mother." I suppose this has to be better than any other option...like that werewolf.

"The Dark Lord uses several potions, Draco. The first one is Serpenambrosius. It is started with dragon blood..."

~

"Excellent, Draco, you are doing well under my tutelage."

"Thanks." This potion is perfect! Snape couldn't make it any better.

"You will go with me today to serve the Dark Lord his potions."

"I'm not going! He will torture me again! One of these times he won't stop, and he will kill me!"

"He will not cast the Cruciatus Curse while you are holding the potions he needs. Perhaps he will be pleased with your addition of mint to his Night Draught. That was the perfect time to add an ingredient. Mint is a masking herb as well."

Huh? Perfect time to add ingredients? Masking? "He might not be pleased, so I still can't go."

"Draco, you must go. Remember your Occlumency."

He thinks I'm going to forget to use Occlumency? That's not likely when you're in my situation. But why is he telling me this now? He's up to something. He must be. What is it?

~

"Here are your potions, my Lord." Don't cast that spell. Don't kill me.

"Drink the potion, Malfoy."

What? Why? Ah, to make sure it's not poison. Argh! This is wretched, but minty.

"How is Malfoy doing, Snape?"

"He is a natural, my Lord. He even added mint to your Night Draught. Your idea has worked well."

"My ideas always work well."

"Exactly, my Lord."

Thank you, Merlin. He is pleased. Now I can go home.

"Leave us, Malfoy. I have a plan, Snape, to repopulate pure-blood society..."
*

*

~ * ~

Pansy stirred; she felt Draco startle and propped herself up so she could look at him.

"Have you slept?"

Draco shook his head.

Pansy could see his anguish. He's been thinking about terrible things. I have to show him there are wonderful things in his life as well. As she sat up the sheet fell away, revealing her bare breasts. She shivered; it was cold in the dungeons.

He pulled her to him, drawing the covers back over her. "Mmmm..."

"Draco..." she breathed, looking into his eyes. He needs me.

Pansy cast a Mouth Freshening Charm on each of them, and then she cast the Male Contraceptive Charm.

I love you, Pansy, he thought, as she began her tender kisses.

She kissed him delicately on his neck and then his lips, while sliding her hands over his warm flesh. I want him to feel loved.

She makes me remember all that is good in this world. Oh, Pansy...

Lying on her side, facing him, she kissed Draco deeply, rubbing her body against him and stroking him until he couldn't stand the pleasure of it any longer. He tried to push her gently back onto the bed, but she resisted.

"I want to make love to you, Draco."

He smiled, closed his eyes and leaned back.

She gently lay on top of him; the light pressure of her body was comforting to him. Draco ran his hands along her smooth skin as her entire body caressed him.

"Remember when you asked me to lie on top of you?" she whispered, kissing his ear.

"This is exactly what I had in mind." It's even better than I thought it would be. He could tell from the way she was moving her body how much she enjoyed being in control.

She leaned up on her arms, and he touched his favourite bits. She pressed forward and watched as he kissed her breasts. He really loves to touch and kiss me.

Draco slid his hands down to her hips, and he slowly guided her, watching her face as she felt him completely. He leaned back and let her take over. She definitely likes to take the lead, and I'll let her...sometimes.

Pansy glanced down and saw a smirk on his face. "Oh, you like this, do you?"

He smiled wickedly and caressed her breasts. I dreamed of doing this all those months away from her.

Moving on top of him, she gazed into his eyes where she could see the intensity of his feelings for her. She leaned forward, kissing him deeply and enjoying the sensations that only he would ever make her feel. Oh, Draco, I love you.

~ * ~

Afterward, Pansy lay next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and her arm around his chest. He stroked her hair, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her hair potion.

I don't need food, drink or anything else. Only her.

"I have classes today, but I shan't go." She needed to spend every single moment with him.

After returning from their swim last night, they had talked about possible scenarios that might help Draco extricate himself from his dangerous situation and allow them to be together. They realised that Draco had to go back to find out more about Snape's complicated scheme and to see how that might fit into their plans. Snape had also issued Draco a stern warning to return by midnight tonight; however, Pansy just couldn't bear the thought of him leaving.

"You should at least make an appearance; we don't want to arouse suspicion." He kissed the top of her head.

"I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to leave."

"I have two double classes today with a long break in between."

"You will go to your first one," he whispered, kissing her ear. "While you are sitting in class like a good schoolwitch, you will think of me waiting for you, wanting you. Something will happen, allowing you to leave class and come back to bed," Draco whispered. I don't think I can even last an hour without her.

Pansy squirmed back on top of him. "Oh, I think it's the other way around, Mr Malfoy," she said, smiling. "I will be wearing my school uniform, and I know how much you like my...skirt; so you will be thinking of me, sitting there...crossing my bare legs..."

Draco flipped her and leaned over his witch. "I will be thinking about doing this to you, Miss Parkinson." He kissed her deeply and then moved his mouth to her neck, making her shiver.

She smiled. "Yes, I will be thinking about that too."

Draco bit his lip. Damn! How am I going to let her go?

~ * ~

Pansy showered, dressed in her school attire and then took a dose of the witches' restorative brew. When she returned, Draco was playing with Fefnir. She magicked his Cruppy food over to him, and he ate greedily. Afterward, he went to his basket to chew on a gnome bone.

Draco asked her to sit down in the cosy chair, while he stood before her. She smoothed her pleated school skirt and crossed her legs. She glanced up at him and he was looking, but his expression wasn't what she expected.

"I need to talk to you about something."

Pansy's heart dropped. "What is it?"

"That Ravenclaw."

Pansy leaned back in the chair and sighed. "Draco, after everything we've shared, how can you doubt..."

"Pansy, I will never doubt us," he interrupted. "That prat..." he began, but then paused.

She knew he was thinking about what happened in the corridor last night, so she waited for him to continue. He must have so many questions about what Kevin said.

"I can tell that prat wants you." Draco scowled and looked out the small dungeon window. Entwhistle looked at her the way I do. Damn him!

"Draco..."

"You don't know how wizards think, Pansy. I don't trust him anywhere near you."

"He's not going to try anything."

"Pansy, were you on a date with him? Have you been seeing him?" He felt sick just asking the questions.

"No, Draco. He did ask me to go to the dance with him just before I found out about...Winifred."

Draco cringed. Don't start that Bunny thing again, Pansy.

"I told him I needed to think about it. I just couldn't come up with an excuse on the spot. No one was supposed to know I was waiting for you, right?"

"And..." Draco prompted.

"Well, right after that Killer swooped in. I thought the owl had come for me, but he hadn't. I sat in this chair crying all day with Fefnir. The next day I found the photograph and the letter."

"I'm sorry, Pansy. I had no idea you were going through all that." He tried to get closer to her, but she waved him off.

"Let me finish," she said firmly. "By Saturday morning I still hadn't told Kevin my excuse. I saw him outside while I was walking Fefnir."

"What was he doing out there?"

"He runs. He said he does it to stay in shape for Quidditch."

Draco snorted. "He was doing that to show off and bother you. Go on."

"I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again, Draco. I didn't even know if you were alive," she said, waiting a moment to let that sink in. "I told him I wasn't ready to date yet, but I'd be at the party."

Draco sighed, closing his eyes. I came so close to losing her.

"I went to the party with Millicent. I didn't talk to him until the very end when we danced. A slow song was played, and he held out his hand to me, Draco." She glanced at him. He's not happy about this, but he's staying in control.

"I didn't want to touch his hand, so I ask if we could go for a walk. Millicent had already left with that Hufflepuff, and I knew I would have to come back alone. The castle is so empty; I was very sad too. When he offered to walk me back to the common room, I said yes."

"Did he touch you?" Draco held his breath. If he has...

"No. The only time he touched me was last night, and you saw what happened then."

"I wanted to shove him away from you. I wanted to seriously hurt him." Draco felt his anger surge; he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"I knew you wanted to hex him or worse, Draco, but you did the right thing by holding back. The Aurors would have taken you to Azkaban, and then I wouldn't have my wizard."

"I held my temper because of you, Pansy. You need to avoid him. Don't give him any reason to think you want him."

"I've only ever wanted you, Draco, since the moment I met you."

Draco knelt before her, drawing her hands into his. "You are my witch; we are betrothed because I want you forever," he said, staring into her eyes.

He wants me forever! She flashed her beautiful smile and kissed him delicately on the lips.

I love when she kisses me like that, so soft and pretty, just like her.

"I'll worry about you being here alone. Look how easily I was able to circumvent the security." He ran his hands along her arms.

"I will be cautious. I promise, my love," she said, clasping her hands around his neck.

"When you come back from class, I'll show you some new spells to keep you safe," he told her, gently caressing her cheek.

Pansy nodded. He loves me. "You still haven't told me how you were able to get in."

"Maybe I'll show you later," he said with a smirk.

"I'm going to kiss that smirk right off your face, Draco Malfoy!"

And she did.

~ The End of Chapter Eight ~