He had seen this tree many mornings and although he had no sentimental attachment to it, it was a handsome rare tree that he found his desire to kill to be equally overwhelming as it was odd. It was the first time ever seeing that tree for its newly obtainable magical property, instead of as a decoration. Silver lime trees were among the small group of special wand making trees, known to possess a potency of Legilimency specific magic. Lucius had put this tree here as a status symbol.
Draco wasn't sure at first how to do it.
Do I just... stab it? He thought wildly to himself.
He was suddenly taken by a calm, and remembered something he had read in the book. Sinking onto one knee, he drove the dagger into the soil of the potted plant. Nothing happened. He was about to make a snide comment about the soil being a cold fish, but then he remembered something else.
He stood quickly. He grabbed 2 leaves from the plant, and one small bundle of flowers, and he shoved them one by one into his mouth, scrunching up his face at the not so lovely taste as he swallowed each, separately.
There was nothing at first, so he went to retrieve the blade from the dirt.
"Tastes awfu-", he'd began, but stopped himself as his hand wrapped around the hilt again.
His discarded tea cup from this morning began to rattle on the desk; left in the corner so that naturally it was flying over the side, and it quickly cracked on the ground. That low thrum just barely came to their audible hearing now, as the tree in front of them made a funny wheezing sound, as if the steam was coming out of it.
Draco felt his feet sink into the sole of his shoes as he seemed to for a moment, become heavier. He felt powerful, like he was going to burst with extra energy: magical energy. It was like having a very big meal and not enough room to carry it all in.
It was a bit like being high on Dust.
A vibrating from the dagger, before the sound of a vaccuum, and then quiet.
Mandy stood back a bit behind him and watched him try to get it to work. She felt a bit disappointed that nothing worked. She was ready to tell him to give up and maybe it wasn't worth it when he reached out and picked off some leaves and flowers off. She watched him eat it and looked for any symptoms.
She sighed and bit her lip bummed that nothing happened when all of a sudden she whipped her head around to look at the teacup as it crashed to the floor. Okay now something had for sure happened. She heard the thrum and looked at him trying to see any signs of anything different for him. He didn't look any different.
Once it became quiet she looked him up and down, "Draco?"
Mandy was so glad that Draco felt aight. She would have felt horrible if something had happened. It would have been all her fault and people would certainly be aware if something major had happened to Draco Malfoy.
She walked up to him and touched him on his face, his cheat, and then his arm. "You don't look or feel any different. You wouldn't know anything had happened to you," she said with an analytical tone. She was making dozen of mental notes in her head.
She then walked over to the plant, the smell gettin worse by the second. "Well obviously something happened. This is what the book described, barren earth and all that. It will never decay and must be buried deep in the ground." She crouched down to get a better look before looking over her shoulder at him, "how do we know what it did to you?"
Mandy nodded, that thing really had to go. They didn't need it to stink up the whole Manor and leave a permanent odor on the furniture. "Can we bury it in your garden?"
While they made their way to the garden with the plant, her mind was racing. Should she give it a try? Nothing happened to Draco, he's still perfectly fine. And think of the research information it could provide if she tried it. Should could write papers! She could give seminars! Just by eating a few leaves. Surely she could manage that.
When they got outside she looked around, "Where should we bury it?"
Draco had a suitable spot in his front yard gardens, the farthest spot from his door or the gate that he could manage.
Something odd had happened as, walking through the gardens with the Silver Lime floating behind them, Draco experienced a vision:
Luna was standing under the great Cherry tree located near the center of these gardens, laughing airily and reaching out her hand to him. When he took her hand, they walked out into the sun from the shade, the light of the sun becoming brighter and brighter until the entire scene faded into white, and then faded in favor of reality.
It was not a memory, he had not had that moment with Luna. It was not an image he had concocted or conceived, either, as he was focused on his current tasks.
Because it concerned Luna, he did not mention it to Mandy, although it near certainly concerned that dagger.
After blasting a few hexes into the ground, it had moved enough dirt to place the tree deeply. He called Keeley over to finish off the job, and they regrouped just beside of the elf's work.
"Well? I think it's your turn."
A garden gnome ran from one bush to another, giggling to itself.
Mandy watched him make the hold in teh groud as her mind began to race. What exaclty did the Aztecs do with this power? And how come they didn't take over the world with it? She shivered at the thought of everythign they could have done if they had used their powers to their maximum.
After the tree was buried she looked over at Draco. Right of course it was her turn. She wasn't going to let him be the only one who had the experience when she was the one who brought the knife to him was she?
She extended her hand her hand, "Hand it over." Once the dagger was in her hand she felt stronger, more ready to take this task on. She started looking around at the other plants in his garden to see what would be something he wouldn't miss.
Without thinking she flicked her wand and stupified the gnome that was running around his garden. It was being just a nuissance. Then it seemed the power of the dagger consumed her. She looked at the gnome and then smirked and looked at Draco, "DO you think it would work?"
"Its worth a try," he reasoned, also seeing the garden gnome for the first time as more than just a pest, but rather a container for the magic within, something rather easily broken open to steal with this new item of her's.
He too was still feeling the effects of the weapon's less than subtle magic, and he didn't realize how strange his line of thinking had become; even welcoming it in order to push aside his bizarre vision of Luna.
"Gernumbli magic is supposed to be rather creative, artistic. Can't hurt. I haven't had a Jarvey in here for quite some time to degnome, and it certainly wouldn't be missed."
If Mandy hadn't been so consumed with her hunger for knowledge and experience she would have slapped herself for even thinking of killing this knome to absorb his powers, She would have been throughly disgusted about the fact that she was going to have to eat 3 chucks of this creature.
However she wasn't in a normal mindset. Her Ravenclaw and Slytherin personalities were combining in the worst sense that she was sure her parents had alwasy worried about. Right now she wanted to try it out, to be equal to Draco, to feel what he was being see. She wanted him to view her as an equal and not like a little Ravenclaw who was never good enough to be in Slytherin and always harbored a little crush on him.
She walked over to the gnome, "So I just stab it?"
He was about to answer when the gnome, a tricky and pseudo intelligent creature, ran away from her as she thought on what to do.
Draco reacted with skill,
"Incendio!" The red spark and flash of flames burst from Draco's wand, charring the creature for a short moment. It fell to the ground, making an annoying sound.
"That'll do. Not really wot i'd meant by a late lunch but, go ahead!"
He quickly remembered her whacking his head with her papers earlier, adding,
"And do let me know if it tastes more like a roast boar or a baked potato."
Mandy couldn't help but glare at Malfoy at his comment. Of course he would find this moment to finally pay her back with a smart-alec comment. He just had to show at this moment that he was better than her. "You owe me a fancy dinner now Malfoy."
She used the dagger and cut some pieces of the gnome out and held it in her hand. 'Just pretend it's like chicken or soemthing' she said to herself. She closed her eyes and swallowed it in three separate mouthfuls. It didn't taste like chicken or even anything close. It was disgusting.
All of a sudden it felt like a weight was pushed on her and she felt a bit dizzy. It felt like pressure was attacking her from some invisible force. She felt teh magic flowing through here and all of a sudden it was gone.
She looked up at him, "That was disgusting. You owe me two dinners."
In case you missed it, Mandy Brocklehurst just gored three chunks of flesh from a still screaming gnome.
And then, she ate them.
She was joking about dinner, no doubt about it. But there was blood dripping from her lip; when she smiled, more blood gleaning between her teeth, and he looked on her visage with wide eyes.
"That's got to count for one meal right there, I mean, Mandy," he started to joke but he was almost breathless, almost frightened, mesmerized,
"Do you have room for it? You still have an appetite?"
Mandy wiped her face on the back of her arm and then wiped it in the grass. She spit some blood out and coughed a bit at the taste. It was really horrible and it just wouldn't go away. "I think I need something to drink before I throw up."
Her head was swarming with all the new power floating throughout her. She didn't notice how dark it had become since she had arrived at the Manor. She pulled the dagger out and just then heard a crack from somewhere in the distance. Okay that was freaky.
She whipped her head around to look at Draco, "What was that?" Just then she saw a bolt of lightening. "I'm thinking we need to bury this guy fast and get inside."
Draco started at the deafening crack, sounding as though Hell itself had burst open through the ground.
He too noticed the darkness looming, sweeping over those rolling Wiltshire hills, blotting out the sun.
"Keeley...", as he stared up into the dark sky,
"Add this one to it," pointing at the charred and gored gnome, which had already started to wither into a disgusting black pile of half cooked flesh.
Keeley looked upon the gnome with pause and Draco encouraged her,
"We're going to need a glass of juice first, and a proper meal after you're done. So get to it."
With a snap of her fingers, a glass of white grape juice appeared in her hands and she hesitantly brought it to Mandy, who still held the knife, before turning in the spot to look at the rotting carcass and her task.
Draco found that to be acceptable enough before wrapping an arm around Mandy, side along apparating her, dagger, and juice all into the house immediately. Due to security magic around the Manor, only Malfoys were permissed to apparate on this property. He explained that to her quickly after they appeared again in his Father's study.
"Shall we gather our reading and take it into the dining hall? I have a feeling our night isn't quite over." He walked over to that open window, closing it shut and taking pause enough to glance again at the storm brewing outside through it.
Mandy mumbled a quick thanks to Keeley when she bought her the juice. She felt bad for the house elf as she had to comver up whatever they just did. Hopefully the smell didn't bother the poor elf to much. Before she could even take a drink of the juice Malfoy had popped them back into the study.
As soon as she got in there she flopped down into the chair and drank the juice. It felt a lot more refreshing that nasty goblin taste. She set the glass down and and wrapped the knife back in the cloth and took off her gloves. She looked at him and gathered some of the books. Obviously she was a tiny girl (don't tell her that!) so she couldn't carry them all but she gathered as much as she could.
He had seen this tree many mornings and although he had no sentimental attachment to it, it was a handsome rare tree that he found his desire to kill to be equally overwhelming as it was odd. It was the first time ever seeing that tree for its newly obtainable magical property, instead of as a decoration.
Silver lime trees were among the small group of special wand making trees, known to possess a potency of Legilimency specific magic.
Lucius had put this tree here as a status symbol.
Draco wasn't sure at first how to do it.
Do I just... stab it?
He thought wildly to himself.
He was suddenly taken by a calm, and remembered something he had read in the book.
Sinking onto one knee, he drove the dagger into the soil of the potted plant.
Nothing happened.
He was about to make a snide comment about the soil being a cold fish, but then he remembered something else.
He stood quickly.
He grabbed 2 leaves from the plant, and one small bundle of flowers, and he shoved them one by one into his mouth, scrunching up his face at the not so lovely taste as he swallowed each, separately.
There was nothing at first, so he went to retrieve the blade from the dirt.
"Tastes awfu-", he'd began, but stopped himself as his hand wrapped around the hilt again.
His discarded tea cup from this morning began to rattle on the desk; left in the corner so that naturally it was flying over the side, and it quickly cracked on the ground.
That low thrum just barely came to their audible hearing now, as the tree in front of them made a funny wheezing sound, as if the steam was coming out of it.
Draco felt his feet sink into the sole of his shoes as he seemed to for a moment, become heavier.
He felt powerful, like he was going to burst with extra energy: magical energy. It was like having a very big meal and not enough room to carry it all in.
It was a bit like being high on Dust.
A vibrating from the dagger, before the sound of a vaccuum, and then quiet.
Reply
She sighed and bit her lip bummed that nothing happened when all of a sudden she whipped her head around to look at the teacup as it crashed to the floor. Okay now something had for sure happened. She heard the thrum and looked at him trying to see any signs of anything different for him. He didn't look any different.
Once it became quiet she looked him up and down, "Draco?"
Reply
"Mandy," he spoke in reply, showing her that he was alright.
"In fact, I feel good but, I don't feel that much different. Good show, but where is the difference?"
He turned out around in the spot, nothing out of sort.
Until he saw the tree in the soil; a black and withered corpse of what it used to be.
A faint, negative smell started to emit from it.
Reply
She walked up to him and touched him on his face, his cheat, and then his arm. "You don't look or feel any different. You wouldn't know anything had happened to you," she said with an analytical tone. She was making dozen of mental notes in her head.
She then walked over to the plant, the smell gettin worse by the second. "Well obviously something happened. This is what the book described, barren earth and all that. It will never decay and must be buried deep in the ground." She crouched down to get a better look before looking over her shoulder at him, "how do we know what it did to you?"
Reply
"Perhaps you should try it?" He offered it to her, honestly a bit puzzled himself. He shot a look at the gross black tree.
"And perhaps we should go outside with this thing... bury it."
His nose scrunched up at the odor of it.
Reply
While they made their way to the garden with the plant, her mind was racing. Should she give it a try? Nothing happened to Draco, he's still perfectly fine. And think of the research information it could provide if she tried it. Should could write papers! She could give seminars! Just by eating a few leaves. Surely she could manage that.
When they got outside she looked around, "Where should we bury it?"
Reply
Draco had a suitable spot in his front yard gardens, the farthest spot from his door or the gate that he could manage.
Something odd had happened as, walking through the gardens with the Silver Lime floating behind them, Draco experienced a vision:
Luna was standing under the great Cherry tree located near the center of these gardens, laughing airily and reaching out her hand to him. When he took her hand, they walked out into the sun from the shade, the light of the sun becoming brighter and brighter until the entire scene faded into white, and then faded in favor of reality.
It was not a memory, he had not had that moment with Luna.
It was not an image he had concocted or conceived, either, as he was focused on his current tasks.
Because it concerned Luna, he did not mention it to Mandy, although it near certainly concerned that dagger.
After blasting a few hexes into the ground, it had moved enough dirt to place the tree deeply. He called Keeley over to finish off the job, and they regrouped just beside of the elf's work.
"Well? I think it's your turn."
A garden gnome ran from one bush to another, giggling to itself.
Reply
After the tree was buried she looked over at Draco. Right of course it was her turn. She wasn't going to let him be the only one who had the experience when she was the one who brought the knife to him was she?
She extended her hand her hand, "Hand it over." Once the dagger was in her hand she felt stronger, more ready to take this task on. She started looking around at the other plants in his garden to see what would be something he wouldn't miss.
Without thinking she flicked her wand and stupified the gnome that was running around his garden. It was being just a nuissance. Then it seemed the power of the dagger consumed her. She looked at the gnome and then smirked and looked at Draco, "DO you think it would work?"
Reply
He too was still feeling the effects of the weapon's less than subtle magic, and he didn't realize how strange his line of thinking had become; even welcoming it in order to push aside his bizarre vision of Luna.
"Gernumbli magic is supposed to be rather creative, artistic. Can't hurt. I haven't had a Jarvey in here for quite some time to degnome, and it certainly wouldn't be missed."
Reply
However she wasn't in a normal mindset. Her Ravenclaw and Slytherin personalities were combining in the worst sense that she was sure her parents had alwasy worried about. Right now she wanted to try it out, to be equal to Draco, to feel what he was being see. She wanted him to view her as an equal and not like a little Ravenclaw who was never good enough to be in Slytherin and always harbored a little crush on him.
She walked over to the gnome, "So I just stab it?"
Reply
Draco reacted with skill,
"Incendio!" The red spark and flash of flames burst from Draco's wand, charring the creature for a short moment.
It fell to the ground, making an annoying sound.
"That'll do. Not really wot i'd meant by a late lunch but, go ahead!"
He quickly remembered her whacking his head with her papers earlier, adding,
"And do let me know if it tastes more like a roast boar or a baked potato."
Now his turn to laugh.
Reply
She used the dagger and cut some pieces of the gnome out and held it in her hand. 'Just pretend it's like chicken or soemthing' she said to herself. She closed her eyes and swallowed it in three separate mouthfuls. It didn't taste like chicken or even anything close. It was disgusting.
All of a sudden it felt like a weight was pushed on her and she felt a bit dizzy. It felt like pressure was attacking her from some invisible force. She felt teh magic flowing through here and all of a sudden it was gone.
She looked up at him, "That was disgusting. You owe me two dinners."
Reply
And then, she ate them.
She was joking about dinner, no doubt about it. But there was blood dripping from her lip; when she smiled, more blood gleaning between her teeth, and he looked on her visage with wide eyes.
"That's got to count for one meal right there, I mean, Mandy," he started to joke but he was almost breathless, almost frightened, mesmerized,
"Do you have room for it? You still have an appetite?"
Reply
Her head was swarming with all the new power floating throughout her. She didn't notice how dark it had become since she had arrived at the Manor. She pulled the dagger out and just then heard a crack from somewhere in the distance. Okay that was freaky.
She whipped her head around to look at Draco, "What was that?" Just then she saw a bolt of lightening. "I'm thinking we need to bury this guy fast and get inside."
Reply
He too noticed the darkness looming, sweeping over those rolling Wiltshire hills, blotting out the sun.
"Keeley...", as he stared up into the dark sky,
"Add this one to it," pointing at the charred and gored gnome, which had already started to wither into a disgusting black pile of half cooked flesh.
Keeley looked upon the gnome with pause and Draco encouraged her,
"We're going to need a glass of juice first, and a proper meal after you're done. So get to it."
With a snap of her fingers, a glass of white grape juice appeared in her hands and she hesitantly brought it to Mandy, who still held the knife, before turning in the spot to look at the rotting carcass and her task.
Draco found that to be acceptable enough before wrapping an arm around Mandy, side along apparating her, dagger, and juice all into the house immediately. Due to security magic around the Manor, only Malfoys were permissed to apparate on this property. He explained that to her quickly after they appeared again in his Father's study.
"Shall we gather our reading and take it into the dining hall? I have a feeling our night isn't quite over." He walked over to that open window, closing it shut and taking pause enough to glance again at the storm brewing outside through it.
Reply
As soon as she got in there she flopped down into the chair and drank the juice. It felt a lot more refreshing that nasty goblin taste. She set the glass down and and wrapped the knife back in the cloth and took off her gloves. She looked at him and gathered some of the books. Obviously she was a tiny girl (don't tell her that!) so she couldn't carry them all but she gathered as much as she could.
She sighed, "Lead the way."
Reply
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