Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge #87; Wrath of Vampires #22
The first weekend in May brings a new JMDC.
This month, the prompt is sacrifice. It needn't be anything dramatic; it can be something as simple as giving up a day of fun to spend helping someone out instead.
Feel free to write/draw any fandom, pairing, threesome, gen fic, original fic, etc. Combine it with other prompts, if you like. Please post your entry in your own journal (unlocked!) or a community of your choice, and leave me a link in the comments below. You have until May 31, at 10:00pm CST to submit an entry. At that time, I'll post links to the entries and draw a name from among the participants to receive a drabble from me. Below is my entry for May:
Title: Wrath of Vampires 22
Author: enchanted_jae
Characters: Draco, Clarise
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): None
Word count: 1015
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This fic/drabble was written for fun, not for profit.
Written for:
♦ Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge No. 87 - sacrifice
♦ Gift fic for March 2013's JMDC winner dracogotgame, who requested an update to Wrath of Vampires
Summary: Draco throws caution to the wind to save Clarise.
It was nearing dusk when Draco arrived outside of the gates of the grand manor house where Veronique held court. Draco cursed his bad luck. He had hoped to get in and get Clarise out before the vampires awakened from their daytime slumber. Instead, it seemed he would be pushing his luck.
Draco knew that Harry would follow him to France, just as he was aware that his vampire lover would be furious with him. Even knowing that, Draco would still have done it all again. He simply could not have waited for Harry to awaken before he came to Clarise's aid. For one thing, precious time would have been wasted arguing with Harry. Aside from that, Draco wanted Harry to be free to concentrate on Veronique. He couldn't do that if he was bent on rescuing Clarise first.
Draco pressed the intercom and announced himself. The gates opened without a sound, and Draco walked the short distance up the paved drive to the house. There, he knocked on the heavy oak door and waited.
A handsome, burly man responded to Draco's summons, opening the door and gesturing for him to come inside.
"I wish to see Clarise," Draco said without preamble.
The man held out his hand. "Surrender your wand," he growled.
Draco had anticipated such a request, and he withdrew the wand from his sleeve and gave it to the stranger without complaint. What Draco hadn't anticipated was being seized by the shoulder and spun around to be pushed face-first into the wall. The man kicked Draco's feet apart and ran rough hands up and down each leg and along his sides. Draco realized he was being frisked for a Muggle weapon. He clenched his teeth and endured the insult. Mercifully, it was over quickly, and the man hadn't groped Draco in an overly-familiar fashion.
The stranger grabbed Draco by the collar and tugged him away from the wall. He began to propel Draco through the hallway and to an open doorway.
"Where are you taking me?" Draco demanded. He wasn't frightened...yet. Draco was capable of performing wandless magic, and he wasn't above using it should the need arise. He was counting on the fact that he would be able to surprise any Muggles, as well as vampires, when the time came.
"You said you wanted to see the woman," replied the man. He strong-armed Draco down a flight of stairs and into a dimly lit cellar. The walls were damp and constructed of stone, and the cellar looked very like a dungeon. Draco's hunch was proved correct when he was manhandled to an iron-barred cell door.
"Draco!" cried Clarise. She rushed forward, clutching at the bars of her prison.
"Clarise," Draco breathed, relieved to see she was still alive. He had been afraid they would have killed her after she wrote her letter to him. Nevertheless, it angered him to see her appearing so gaunt and frightened.
"Stand back," the man behind Draco ordered gruffly. He removed a ring of keys from his belt loop and jingled them.
Clarise stepped away from the door, and the man opened it with a key and shoved Draco inside. Clarise put her hands out to steady him, and Draco wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace as the door was shut and locked behind them. Clarise sobbed and clung to him. Draco was aware the man had left, so he allowed Clarise to cry as he attempted to soothe her.
Eventually, she took a step back and swiped at her eyes. "You shouldn't have come, Draco," said Clarise. "You must know they forced me to write that letter. I never would have endangered you otherwise."
"I had to come," Draco said with a gentle smile. He waved one hand, casting a wandless Muffliato around them. For all Draco knew, someone could be listening in, and he didn't want anyone to hear what he had to say.
"They are going to kill you," Clarise whispered. "I heard them talking. They said they would take away your wand, and that Veronique plans to kill you herself."
"Veronique has underestimated Harry, and she has severely underestimated me, as well," said Draco. He withdrew a small pouch from an inner pocket and dumped the contents into his hand. Draco restored his regular wand to its normal size and tucked it in its customary sheath in his sleeve.
Clarise's eyes got wide. "How did...?" she stammered.
"I knew they would take my wand from me," said Draco. "I brought along a decoy." He grinned at Clarise, and she smiled back. Draco was pleased to see that old sparkle in her eyes.
"Can you get us out of here?" she asked.
Draco nodded. He held out a small key to her, barely the size of a charm. "This is what is known as a portkey," he told her. "It will take you to the London office of the Ministry of Magic, which issues such keys. There, my friend Daphne Greengrass will be waiting to assist you."
"But, what about you?"
"I'm staying," Draco replied. "Harry can't take on Veronique's entire enclave by himself, no matter what he may think."
Clarise worried her lower lip. Draco pressed the key into her hand. "You're going home," he said. "I'll contact you when Harry and I return to England."
Clarise flung herself at Draco in another weepy hug. "Do you promise?" she sniffled.
"I promise," murmured Draco. His own throat had grown tight. Draco patted Clarise's back and set her away from him. "Close your hand over the portkey and squeeze it," he instructed.
Clarise nodded, took a deep breath, and vanished.
Draco's shoulders slumped in relief. No matter what happened now, Clarise would be safe.
~tbc~
Wrath of Vampires 23
This month, the prompt is sacrifice. It needn't be anything dramatic; it can be something as simple as giving up a day of fun to spend helping someone out instead.
Feel free to write/draw any fandom, pairing, threesome, gen fic, original fic, etc. Combine it with other prompts, if you like. Please post your entry in your own journal (unlocked!) or a community of your choice, and leave me a link in the comments below. You have until May 31, at 10:00pm CST to submit an entry. At that time, I'll post links to the entries and draw a name from among the participants to receive a drabble from me. Below is my entry for May:
Title: Wrath of Vampires 22
Author: enchanted_jae
Characters: Draco, Clarise
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): None
Word count: 1015
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This fic/drabble was written for fun, not for profit.
Written for:
♦ Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge No. 87 - sacrifice
♦ Gift fic for March 2013's JMDC winner dracogotgame, who requested an update to Wrath of Vampires
Summary: Draco throws caution to the wind to save Clarise.
It was nearing dusk when Draco arrived outside of the gates of the grand manor house where Veronique held court. Draco cursed his bad luck. He had hoped to get in and get Clarise out before the vampires awakened from their daytime slumber. Instead, it seemed he would be pushing his luck.
Draco knew that Harry would follow him to France, just as he was aware that his vampire lover would be furious with him. Even knowing that, Draco would still have done it all again. He simply could not have waited for Harry to awaken before he came to Clarise's aid. For one thing, precious time would have been wasted arguing with Harry. Aside from that, Draco wanted Harry to be free to concentrate on Veronique. He couldn't do that if he was bent on rescuing Clarise first.
Draco pressed the intercom and announced himself. The gates opened without a sound, and Draco walked the short distance up the paved drive to the house. There, he knocked on the heavy oak door and waited.
A handsome, burly man responded to Draco's summons, opening the door and gesturing for him to come inside.
"I wish to see Clarise," Draco said without preamble.
The man held out his hand. "Surrender your wand," he growled.
Draco had anticipated such a request, and he withdrew the wand from his sleeve and gave it to the stranger without complaint. What Draco hadn't anticipated was being seized by the shoulder and spun around to be pushed face-first into the wall. The man kicked Draco's feet apart and ran rough hands up and down each leg and along his sides. Draco realized he was being frisked for a Muggle weapon. He clenched his teeth and endured the insult. Mercifully, it was over quickly, and the man hadn't groped Draco in an overly-familiar fashion.
The stranger grabbed Draco by the collar and tugged him away from the wall. He began to propel Draco through the hallway and to an open doorway.
"Where are you taking me?" Draco demanded. He wasn't frightened...yet. Draco was capable of performing wandless magic, and he wasn't above using it should the need arise. He was counting on the fact that he would be able to surprise any Muggles, as well as vampires, when the time came.
"You said you wanted to see the woman," replied the man. He strong-armed Draco down a flight of stairs and into a dimly lit cellar. The walls were damp and constructed of stone, and the cellar looked very like a dungeon. Draco's hunch was proved correct when he was manhandled to an iron-barred cell door.
"Draco!" cried Clarise. She rushed forward, clutching at the bars of her prison.
"Clarise," Draco breathed, relieved to see she was still alive. He had been afraid they would have killed her after she wrote her letter to him. Nevertheless, it angered him to see her appearing so gaunt and frightened.
"Stand back," the man behind Draco ordered gruffly. He removed a ring of keys from his belt loop and jingled them.
Clarise stepped away from the door, and the man opened it with a key and shoved Draco inside. Clarise put her hands out to steady him, and Draco wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace as the door was shut and locked behind them. Clarise sobbed and clung to him. Draco was aware the man had left, so he allowed Clarise to cry as he attempted to soothe her.
Eventually, she took a step back and swiped at her eyes. "You shouldn't have come, Draco," said Clarise. "You must know they forced me to write that letter. I never would have endangered you otherwise."
"I had to come," Draco said with a gentle smile. He waved one hand, casting a wandless Muffliato around them. For all Draco knew, someone could be listening in, and he didn't want anyone to hear what he had to say.
"They are going to kill you," Clarise whispered. "I heard them talking. They said they would take away your wand, and that Veronique plans to kill you herself."
"Veronique has underestimated Harry, and she has severely underestimated me, as well," said Draco. He withdrew a small pouch from an inner pocket and dumped the contents into his hand. Draco restored his regular wand to its normal size and tucked it in its customary sheath in his sleeve.
Clarise's eyes got wide. "How did...?" she stammered.
"I knew they would take my wand from me," said Draco. "I brought along a decoy." He grinned at Clarise, and she smiled back. Draco was pleased to see that old sparkle in her eyes.
"Can you get us out of here?" she asked.
Draco nodded. He held out a small key to her, barely the size of a charm. "This is what is known as a portkey," he told her. "It will take you to the London office of the Ministry of Magic, which issues such keys. There, my friend Daphne Greengrass will be waiting to assist you."
"But, what about you?"
"I'm staying," Draco replied. "Harry can't take on Veronique's entire enclave by himself, no matter what he may think."
Clarise worried her lower lip. Draco pressed the key into her hand. "You're going home," he said. "I'll contact you when Harry and I return to England."
Clarise flung herself at Draco in another weepy hug. "Do you promise?" she sniffled.
"I promise," murmured Draco. His own throat had grown tight. Draco patted Clarise's back and set her away from him. "Close your hand over the portkey and squeeze it," he instructed.
Clarise nodded, took a deep breath, and vanished.
Draco's shoulders slumped in relief. No matter what happened now, Clarise would be safe.
~tbc~
Wrath of Vampires 23