Sweet Deception

CHAPTER THREE: The Mirror's Reflection

Seeing Hermione again made Draco's heart lift, especially after their previous engagement in the halls. He had felt that Hermione had truly, dearly liked him, and knew that he would stop at nothing to get her back. He didn't care the she only snogged him because she was under the influence of a petty bean. She had grabbed him in "the place"! That had to mean something. He hunted down Fred and George so he could get some more inside details on the bean.

"We're still working on it," said Fred. Draco had luckily enough passed them in the dungeons, since that was where they worked, and he stayed in the dungeons anyway. "We'll let you know when we're finished."

"I don't care if it isn't finished," said Draco. "What does it mean? What does it do?"

"OK, apparently Hermione has some sort of attraction to you, because that bean was never made so she could touch what you should keep hidden. So why worry about it? Hunt down Hermione and snog her again under your own will!"

"That could work," said Draco, and he turned to leave the dungeons so he could find Hermione and do as Fred had instructed.

"Good luck!" came the voice of George as the door shut behind him.

"He's a moron!" said Fred. "She'd never snog him."

"Nice lie," said George. "Always wondered how to get him out of our hair...now I know that you either have to say 'snog' or 'Hermione' and he's gone like Puff the Magic Dragon."

Fred laughed. "Puff the Magic Dragon?"

"Yeah, I read about it in some Muggle book. Very weird these days, Muggles are. So many problems. Puff the Magic Dragon?" he sniggered to himself.

"OK, so, I think I've figured out how to make it last," said Fred. "Of course, we won't know until we try it on someone. Why don't we get Malfoy over there and show him Harry? That should be good. But I've designed it so that if you take one, you will fall in love with only one person, and you will be able to control the feelings eventually, but you'll still love them. However, if you take two then it's going to be like 'Draco Gone Wild' and there will be snogging on every corner."

George laughed. "We could get the teachers involved in this...that should be a sight! I could see Dumbledore with McGonagall...they'd actually make a cute couple. I'd pay good money to see Snape hit on Dumbledore as well."

Fred shuddered. "I think teachers need to be left out of this. At least until we can narrow it down to the genders."

"OK, OK, but we should make one for Dumbledore and McGonagall that makes it so you only fall in love with one person...I honestly think that they'd make a good couple."

"I don't know. Seems to me he'd be too old to give her anything to talk about. But from what I've heard from Ron, Dumbledore would have more to show for it than Snape would."

***

Draco headed up the halls to the Gryffindor common room. As he approached, the Fat Lady looked at him in disgust and asked sharply, "Password?"

Draco thought for a moment. "Um. The password is..um..."

Before he could give a password, the door opened and Hermione walked out. When she saw Draco she froze and just stood there. He did the same thing. They stood in a moment of awkward silence.

"Well?" came to voice of the Fat Lady (the portrait was still open). "Are you two going to say something or just stand there gawking at each other all day?"

"Oh," said Hermione. "Hi, Draco." She shut the portrait and they started walking down the hall, hearing a mutter of "Kids" from the Fat Lady.

"Hermione, I think we need to have a little bit of a chat," said Draco.

"I was just going to come to you for the exact same reason. Last night was --"

"Marvelous," he interrupted.

"Well, yes, but -- Draco, we were under a spell. There was nothing special in it. Nothing at all. I'm sorry."

"So you mean that you didn't feel any passion at all?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"That's OK, I guess. But you grabbed my penis! I thought for sure that meant something to you!"

Hermione smiled. "Oh, that did, believe me."

"Well, then what's wrong?"

"Draco, let's not discuss this right now. Write me an owl or something, and I'll get back to you. I'm really sorry if you got your hopes up."

"But, Hermione, I --"

She turned and looked him straight in the face. It was the first time she'd ever looking into his cold, gray eyes and noticed that there was love behind them as well as hatred.

"I-I just thought you should know that --"

With out finishing, he leaned in and gave her a long, passionate, romantic kiss. When he pulled away, she looked at him and laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You should think about taking kissing lessons with Ron and Harry. No offense, but you suck. What's wrong with men these days?"

She turned and walked away, heading what looked to be the direction of the library. Draco stood there, stunned, and then eventually went back to his own House.

***

Dear Harry,

Don't bother telling your friends about this, because if you do, I can guarantee they'll all die within a week. I have a plan and you will not mess it up, do you hear me, boy? I've come through sixteen years of pain to get this far. Do you understand?

I'm sure you're wondering just why I'm writing you this letter. Well, there is a perfectly good explanation. I've given you some of my powers, Harry Potter. When I tried to kill you and failed, I gave you half of me. I'm sure you already know all about this. After all, you're under the care of Albus Dumbledore, the old prick. Anyway. I know the things you can do, Harry. I know that I can control you through your dreams, make you do things even the great Harry Potter wouldn't think he were capable of doing.

I'm pre-warning you of what I'm going to do, Harry. I'm going to kill everyone in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you will not stop me. Do you understand?

And if you dare even show this letter to anybody, I will have you kidnaped before you can say "Avada Kadavra," do you understand? Well, I would sure hope so.

I'm watching you, Harry. I'm going to be controlling you through your dreams until I can come inside of you and control you permanently. Don't fight it.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Voldemort re-read the letter and folded it up, then gave it to Wormtail.

"Be sure he gets this," he said.

"Y-Yes, yes, of course," said Wormtail, putting the letter in his pocket. "I'll go to town tomorrow and have it delivered to him. Do you think he'll really keep this under wraps?"

"I'll begin to control him tonight, so he'll have no choice but to keep it to himself. I'm going to conjure up a fake human and torture it and make him think that's what I'll do to all of his friends if he tells. This plan is going much better than I ever would've hoped."

Wormtail smiled. "That's good. I'm always so upset when Harry Potter gets the win, and you have to re-think your plots."

"Don't worry," said Voldemort. "Everything will change by the end of the year."

He got up and walked over to Mundungus Fletcher.

"You've been a great host, Mundungus," he said. "For once in my life, I feel like being nice. I'm going to let you live, but you're going to have to stay here. Don't even think about trying to run away or contact anyone in the outside world or I'll kill you."

Mundungus shivered in fear. "P-Please. D-Don't h-hurt m-m-m-me. I s-swear I-I'll do wh-what you want m-m-m-me t-t-t-to."

Voldemort smiled. "I told you he'd come around to me, Wormtail." Voldemort leaned in until he was about an inch from Mundungus' face. "It's all right. There's no need to be afraid. I have a feeling you're going to be a lot of use for me, Mr. Fletcher."

He got up and left the room, leaving Mundungus scared and quivering in the attic. Voldemort locked to door to ensure that Mundungus stayed there, and he left to do his nightly bidding with Harry Potter.

***

Hermione entered the Common Room in a fit of giggles. Harry and Ron were the only ones left, for it was late and everyone else had gone to bed. When she saw them, she only laughed harder, and couldn't stop laughing. She laughed so hard she fell over, and Harry and Ron could only goggle at her and wonder what the heck was so funny.

"You'll - never - believe - what - just - happened!" she said through all of her giggles.

"Oh, nice to see you're talking to us again," said Ron.

"What? Oh, yeah," said Hermione, embarrassed. "I've gotten over that. No fears anymore, so just chill and be happy."

"What's so funny?" asked Harry.

Hermione burst into laughter again.

"Did you have a laughing spell put on you?" asked Ron.

"No!" said Hermione, laughing.

"Silencio!" shouted Harry as he pulled out his wand. Hermione's laughter ceased immediately, and she looked calm.

"Anyway," she said. "Draco came by, and he actually thought I'd meant something by last night, just because I'd grabbed his penis!"

Harry and Ron stared at her for a moment, then burst out into laughter.

"That's too funny," said Harry.

"Yeah, I know. I feel bad for him, though. You really should've seen him when I told him I didn't feel anything. He looked hurt. But it was still far too priceless to go on worrying about it too much. Anyway, I'm going to go to bed, and I'll see you two bright and early tomorrow morning."

She left, and Harry and Ron stared at her.

"I'm not sure what's weirder," said Ron, "her getting over it so fast, or him believing that there was some sort of spark between them."

***

Harry's dreams were cold and bitter that night. As soon as he put his head on the pillow, he started dreaming of something very strange...

Voldemort stood in the middle of a room, cloaked and hooded, dripping in blood. He said some sort of spell Harry couldn't recognize.

A person came into the room, looking frightened/

"Y-Yes?" he said. "I heard voices calling me and so I came. Who are you?"

Voldemort looked at him. His eyes turned red.

"You have the courage and nerve to dare ask me my name?" he said. "That was a very foolish thing to do, for it is never wise to attempt to mock Lord Voldemort.

"Lord Voldemort? I've never heard of you!"

"That's because you are stupid, and for this you should be beaten with a stick! But that is not my affair. You see, there is something I want from you."

"What?"

"Your soul."

Voldemort pulled out his wand.

"Accio, soul!" The soul of the person ripped out of his body, leaving the person there to die. "Well, well," said Voldemort. "That was far too easy." He put the soul back in the body.

"H-How did you do that?"

"Do you dare question me again?"

The person kneeled before Lord Voldemort.

"No, never."

"Good. You're a quick learner."

Voldemort held up his wand and muttered something again, and the man started twitching.

"Jump," said Voldemort, and the man flew in the air and hit the ceiling. "Kneel." The man kneeled so hard he put a whole in the floor. "Die," said Voldemort, and the man went over to the fireplace, picked up a burning log, and stuck his face into it, screaming as his skin burned away from him. After burning for a couple of seconds, the man just fell. He lay there, and Voldemort knew he was dead. "This is what will happen if anyone dares defy me," he said, and it sounded as if he were talking to Harry. "That's right, Harry. I am talking to you. I sent you a letter, and if you dare show it to anyone or tell anyone of it's contents, this man will be your friends." Voldemort's red eyes turned to slits. "I'm always watching you."

Harry woke with a start as Ron was shaking him.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up, mate! What's the matter? You're screaming bloody murder!"

"N-Nothing," said Harry, remembering Voldemort's words. "Guess I just had a nightmare that Hermione snogged Draco, and they went a little further than snogging."

Ron shuddered. "I'd scream, too. Was it in detail?"

Harry swallowed. "Unfortunately."

Ron shuddered again. "Sorry, mate. That must be terrible."

"You haven't the slightest idea."

***

Draco looked particularly annoyed the next day, and only he, Harry, Hermione, and Ron knew why. Draco was particularly annoyed with Fred and George because, after all, he had just been following their advice. Had their advice been accurate, however. He wouldn't have had to worry about it.

"Oh, would you look at him?" said Hermione. "He seems so upset. Maybe I should go talk to him."

"Bad idea," said Ron. "You just broke the guys heart, and he looks pissed, so I wouldn't dare go within ten feet of him if I were you."

"Oh, you're probably right. It's just, he looks so -- depressed! And the fact that I told him he should take kissing lessons with you two."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" screamed Harry.

"Shh!" said Hermione. "Not so loud! You don't want too attract too much attention." She said that a little bit late because everyone at the Gryffindor table was looking at them. "Mind your business," Hermione snapped. They all looked back at their plates and continued their conversations. "Anyway," she continued. "You guys should be the ones to go talk to him. I would pay good money to see you three snogging each other in a hallway while he's wearing nothing but tight leather pants and suspenders with no shirt and letting it all hang out."

"Were you paying that close of attention?" asked Ron.

"Yes, I was. And besides, you don't think anything of it when you've got the bean. You just get attracted to people. When the effect wears off, however, you feel just a tad bit foolish."

"I would, too if I grabbed Draco's testicles," said Harry.

"Yeah. He should give Snape some lessons for that area."

"Even though we decided Draco's was fake."

"True."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Boys. Can't live with them, can't live without them. When will you two ever grow up?"

"When we get over the fact that you snogged Draco," said Harry.

"And when will that be?"

They thought a moment.

"Hmm...never!" said Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "You're an immature selfish pig, Ronald Weasley."

"Shut up, Hermione," said Ron. "I'm only joking."

"Did you just tell me to shut up? You bastard! I hate you!"

"Well, I hate you too, bitch!"

"Enough!" said Harry. "Ron, Hermione, please just stop fighting. Hard to believe this started with Draco having a fake penis."

"It isn't fake!" said Hermione. "I felt it, it was very real."

"Then why did you say it was soft?"

"Maybe you should try feeling it one day, that way you'll know what I'm talking about. Or maybe you could get lucky enough to get him to take his pants off and show you that ass as well --"

"HERMIONE!" said Ron incredulously. "Are you hitting on Draco?"

"It isn't my fault that's it beautiful! And not to mention there for the taking! Gosh, he's so perfect! Maybe I should go over there and tell him that if he wants, it's on. I think I do love him."

Harry rolled his eyes. "And you think we're confusing."

***

Bang!

"Did it work?" asked Fred.

"I don't know," said George. "I haven't tested it yet, you dinglebat!"

"Now, there's no use getting all angry over it," said Fred. "We need to start small with these things, you have to remember. Christmas is coming up, and we could sell these as Bertie Bott's."

"True, true. Hey, I wonder how poor ol' Draco's doing with Hermione?"

The door slammed open and Draco barged in, looking angry.

"By the looks of it," said Fred, looking from Draco to George, "not so well."

"See you've lost the leather pants," said George. "Good idea."

"Shut it, Weasley!" said Draco. "I tried to go after Hermione."

"And?"

"And? Are you a stupid redhead? Look at me! I'm pissed off! How do you think it went, you stupid-ass, should-be-castrated Weasley?"

"Now, now," said Fred. "No need for anger."

"Anger? This isn't me angry. I'll have you two for this, you can guarantee that!"

He left the room without a further word.

"I think that went rather well," said George, "considering the circumstances."

Fred laughed. "The little git. Should-be-castrated? He may be big, but he better be happy I don't take my pants off, or he'll feel castrated."

***

"Stupid Weasleys," muttered Draco as he went down the hall. "Never again will I trust one of those stupid redheads. They'll pay for that! I can guarantee it!"

He found Ginny leaving the Great Hall and approached her, looking sad.

"What is it, Draco?" she asked. "Not that I care. Your pain brings me pleasure."

Draco fought the urge to say something really mean to her. "Oh, Ginny!" he said, pretending to cry. "It's so terrible!"

"What?"

"Your brothers! They just tried to get into my pants."

"ALL SIX OF THEM?!"

"No! Just Fred and George."

She shook her head. "When am I going to learn that it's only those two?"

"Ginny! What am I to do? I'm not gay!"

"Neither are they, believe me."

"But they just tried to get into my pants!"

"Draco! Wake up! You're in a fantasy world! Get out of it! My family hates you, just as your family hates mine! Shut up already! Goodness, you're like a little girl!"

She left him and ran up the stairs, heading toward the Gryffindor tower.

"Another person to add to my list of revenge, I see," said Draco as she left. "Hope she doesn't tell anybody about that."

***

Ginny entered the Gryffindor Common Room and saw Hermione.

"Hermione, Draco's psycho," she said.

"Did you just figure that out or did you get hit in the face with a 'No-Duh' spell?" said Hermione.

"No, I've known for a while."

"What did he do this time?"

"He came up to me an told me that Fred and George tried to get into his pants."

Hermione snorted. "That preposterous! They'd never do that!"

"I know. I told him to get out of his fantasy world."

Hermione laughed. "Good idea. Wouldn't want him getting big-headed, would we?"

"Too late."

The girls broke out in a fit of laughter and Harry and Ron entered.

"What's so funny?" asked Ron.

"You'll never know," said Hermione.

***

Draco thought of how he could get Fred and George expelled. There had to be some sort of way to do it...

"I've got it!" he said. "I'll tell Dumbledore that they're making secret love potions down in the dungeons! Love potions are illegal..."

He left the Slytherin Common Room and went to go find Fred and George's section of the dungeons. He entered, looking pleased.

"You guys will pay for lying to me," he said.

"Oh yeah?" said George. "And how to you propose to go about that?"

"I'm going to turn you in."

"You're going to do what?" said Fred.

"I'm going to tell Dumbledore all about this! Love potions are illegal! Your messing with people's emotions and you'll pay for it!"

"Malfoy, you git!" said George. "You'll do no such thing!"

"Watch me!"

Draco tried to leave the room, but George stood up and started saying a spell.

"You will not leave this very room, until you're stuck in a bathroom! One bean live with you, it shall, that's all your food, so eat up now!"

Nothing happened. Draco looked at him and smirked.

"Trying some new magic? That's stupid. You'll never get me out of here!"

As soon as he finished saying "here", he disappeared, right out of thin air.

"Whoa!" said Fred. "George, where did you learn to do that?"

"It's just something I've been practicing over the years."

"So where is he?"

"He's stuck in the Out-Of-Order bathroom, with one bean. A love bean. He's going to be our tester. See, my ideas do work sometimes."

***

A strange owl flew up to the window that night, and Harry saw that the letter it held in it's beak was addressed to him. He opened the window and retrieved the letter, reading it so Ron and Hermione couldn't see it.

It was from Voldemort.

Remembering his dream last night, Harry folded up the letter, making sure Hermione and Ron couldn't see it.

"Who was that from, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Um...it was from Mrs. Weasley. She wants me to keep an eye on Fred and George. She'll be sending you a letter soon, as well, Ron."

On that note, he went up to the dormitory to write two letters.

Dear Voldemort,

I did as you wished. I didn't tell my friends. Would you mind telling me exactly what's going on? I don't have any of your powers, I'm a good wizard, remember?

And what was with the dream last night?

It's very strange conversing with you.

Harry

He folded that up and gave it to the owl, who flew away with it. Then Harry wrote a letter to Mrs. Weasley.

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

I'm having a bit of a problem, and I was hoping that you might be able to help me out.

I'm sorry that I can't go into detail, but it's a life-or-death situation. I've already told you too much, so to keep things short, would you mind writing Ron a letter and telling him to keep an eye on Fred and George? I promise I will elaborate one day.

Harry

He folded that up as well and called Hedwig over.

"Make sure this gets to Mrs. Weasley," he said.

Hedwig hooted and flew out the window. Harry watched her fly away into the night, then went back down the Hermione and Ron.

"Where did you go?" asked Hermione.

"Went to go write Mrs. Weasley back. Told her that everything was fine with Fred and George so far, but I might want to take her advice and keep an eye on them. It's better if she didn't know about the love bean."

"You speak the truth," said Ron. "She'd go absolutely ballistic if she found out about that!"

"She goes ballistic whenever she finds out Fred and George have done anything," said Hermione. "But this, I think, would make her go a little bit off her rocker."

"She's already done that," said Ron. "A long time ago. Once you fall off your rocker, there's no going back. Pity, really, bet she was a nice lady."

Hermione rolled her eyes and hit him again.

***

Draco looked around the bathroom, petrified.

How did I get here? he wondered to himself. Stupid Weasleys! They're always doing something like this!

He looked around. It was the old, out-of-order bathroom that was completely empty for refurbishment, except at the moment there was a --

"Jelly bean?" Draco walked over to the door where the jelly bean was. "They banish me, and they send me to a room with a jelly bean?"

He picked the jelly bean up.

"Well, there's no harm in eating a simple jelly bean." He put it in his mouth. "Oh, no. It was one of the jelly beans they tested on me and Hermione!"

He looked into the mirror and smiled.

"Hey," he said in a sexy voice to his own reflection. "How are you good-a-lookin'?"

He walked over to the mirror, trying to play it cool, as if his reflection didn't notice he was there. He put his hand up on the wall and casually looked into the mirror as if it weren't himself but another person.

"So, uh, you come here often?"

When his reflection just stared back, he looked away, then looked back.

"I see. You're playing hard-to-get. You don't like me or something? I have too much charm for you to not like me."

His reflection only stared back.

"OK, this isn't cool! I'm a hot man, here! What's wrong with you?"

His reflection only stared.

"I see how it is. You wanna snog to see what I'm like, eh? Well, I'm your man."

He leaned into the mirror and started kissing his reflection.

***

For the next couple of days, Draco was nowhere to be found. They noticed that he had some absences and went to his House to search for him. When he couldn't be found there, the teachers started asking around.

"Haven't seen him," said Crabbe. "He kind of randomly disappeared, but that's all I know."

"Well," said Snape, "if we can't find him, his parents will need to be informed that he has gone missing."

"Still haven't seen him."

"Fine. Be that way. We'll find him."

"Why don't you just get a Marauder's Map?" asked a voice behind him. He turned and saw Goyle. "Draco always kept one under his bed. I bet if you went and looked for it you could find it."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Goyle," said Snape. "10 points to Slytherin."

He went up into the boys' dormitories and found Draco's bed. He searched through Draco's things and eventually found the Marauder's Map. Having used a Marauder's Map before, Snape remembered how to make everything appear.

He pulled out his wand, put it to the paper, and muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The paper flooded with ink, and Snape looked for Draco.

"I've found him," he said as he entered the teachers' lounge.

"Where?" asked McGonagall.

"In the Out-Of-Order boys' bathroom."

"Well, where is he?"

"I haven't retrieved him yet."

"How do you know he's there?"

"His Marauder's Map."

"I always wondered how he always knew where I was..."

"Let's go get him, shall we?"

As they approached the boys' bathroom, they couldn't brace themselves for the sight they would see as they opened the door:

Draco had yanked the mirror off the wall and was now on the floor, trying to unzip the pants of his reflection.

"What kind of spell is this? You're good. That's a turn on!" he said and flung his tongue back onto the mirror. He started rolling around, and Snape noticed that he looked particularly...happy.

"Mr. Malfoy," said McGonagall, shocked. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

Draco put the mirror down and looked at her, then smiled.

"Hey, McGonagall. Nice to see you here, hot-cakes."

McGonagall turned chalk white and looked at Malfoy in horror.

"What did you just say to me?"

"Didn't you hear me?" asked Malfoy, smiling. "Me snogging this person; does it turn you on?"

Her mouth dropped open and she fell back onto the door.

"That's totally preposterous!" she shouted.

"Why, baby? You're totally hot!"

"Get him to the Hospital Wing, immediately!" said McGonagall, leaving and running down the corridor, leaving Draco with Snape.

"Come on, Mr. Malfoy, let's get you to the Hospital Wing."

"Snape," said Draco, standing up. "Do you want to snog?"

Snape looked at him, then leaned in.

"Draco, how many times to I have to tell you that our personal affairs have to stay private? Now, get to the Hospital Wing!"

Draco started to leave, but Snape grabbed him.

"Saturday night, library again?" he said.

Draco smiled. "I'll be there if you will, baby."

Snape kissed Draco.

"Now. Be on your way."

***

Harry and Ron passed by the boys' bathroom right as Snape kissed Draco.

"Did you see that?" said Ron.

"That should make headline news with the Prophet."

"This is too perfect! Come on, let's go tell Dumbledore!"

***

"How did you get a Marauder's Map, anyway?" asked Professor McGonagall as she entered the Hospital Wing cautiously.

"You're talking to a Malfoy," said Draco. "My dad couldn't have Harry showing me up again, could he?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"My dad conjured up a Marauder's Map with Snape's help. Snape used to steal the original one and use it, so my dad made one for me."

McGonagall shook her head. "Whatever, Mr. Malfoy. Get better. And, by the way, if you ever hit on me again, I will personally assassinate you."