Child Of Grace: Chapter 27 - Draco Demented (Part 2)
ZeldaQueen: You know, there's about thirteen or so chapters left to this year. I honestly am wonder how the hell they're going to be filled up. Ah well, only one way to find out!
Incidentally, this cheered me up a good deal on the Harry Potter front
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 27: Draco Demented (Part 2)
She opened her eyes, which she hadn't remembered shutting, only to gaze up into the worried face of Blaise. He looked pale in the light of the relit lamps but seemed to be fine otherwise.
"Holly?" he breathed. "Are you-"
ZeldaQueen: (Blaise) "A Sue?"
"I'm fine," she responded before he could really even complete his question. "Really," she added at his disbelieving expression.
ZeldaQueen: (Holly) "I'm a Sue, nothing bad ever happens to me!"
"What happened?"
But it was Ron who answered.
ZeldaQueen: (Holly) "Shut your pie hole! Did I say you could speak?"
"Don't know. That thing came in. And then, you started shaking. If Blaise hadn't caught you, you would have fell."
ZeldaQueen: Yes, because the Sue is a delicate, delicate flower who must never be bruised and who has a ton of groupies to hold her hand and catch her
Holly noticed that he didn't mention anyone screaming, but she didn't dare ask.
ZeldaQueen: (Suethor) "ISN'T THAT BETTER THAN HARRY? HE WAS AN IDIOT AND ASKED!"
She glanced across the compartment, seeing Draco staring back at her. He was completely white, trembling faintly. His grey eyes were impossibly large and dilated, just a ring of silver around the black.
ZeldaQueen: Oh for the love of - now we get to hear a Sue-ed up account of Draco getting upset by the Dementors
"What was that thing?" Hermione questioned, breathing harshly. She turned to the professor, the movement of the train causing the lamps to cast shadows on her face.
ZeldaQueen: *singing* Phantom faces at the window, phantom shadows on the floor...
"A Dementor, one of the guards of Azkaban," Remus replied, reaching into his pocket. "Here. Eat this." He produced an incredibly large slab of chocolate and broke off several pieces, handing them out and giving the largest to Holly and Draco respectively. "Excuse me while I go talk to the driver."
ZeldaQueen: (Lupin) "I'm going to just speed through my lines whilst favoring the Sue and her toadie. Perhaps if I move quick enough, I can escape this damned fic"
The professor left, and Ron took it as his responsibility to quickly fill in what else had happened, while Holly munched on her chocolate.
ZeldaQueen: Apparently the suethor is annoyed that Ron is being responsible and nice and ignoring her attempts to demonize him, so she's trying to skip over it
Apparently, Remus had ordered the Dementor to leave, and when it wouldn't, he shot some kind of silvery light at it, driving it away.
ZeldaQueen: Way to take out all of the emotion of the moment
The redhead went on to mention that only she and Malfoy had really had a reaction to the thing, although the last name was added with a fair bit of contempt.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, shut up!
But Draco didn't even have it in him to retort, merely shaking and numbly gazing at the wall.
ZeldaQueen: Go Dementors! I'm cheering them on!
It came to Blaise to defend his Housemate, and he did so with a fair amount of sarcasm.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, that's childish. Apparently these people are incapable of turning the other cheek
Holly barely registered what he said as she was too occupied with pulling the still sleeping Snuffles from his basket and running her hands through his dark fur as she checked him over. He mewed very softly, twitching in his sleep but appeared fine, and Blaise gently took the kitten from her before she could tuck him back inside his carrier.
ZeldaQueen: Cue the Sue trying to get reader sympathy by being vacant and detached and dependent on someone else to support her. It isn't working
Thankfully, Remus returned in short order, informing them that they would be at their destination in ten minutes. His gaze lingered on Holly, and he didn't look away until she gave him a barely perceptible nod. Still, his eyes did to flicker back to her every few seconds.
ZeldaQueen: STOP IT! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! STOP HAVING EVERYONE CONSTANTLY CATERING TO HER EMOTIONAL NEEDS! IT JUST MAKES HER LOOK SPINELESS! SHE IS SPINELESS! ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY THAT A FEMALE HARRY WOULD BE SO USELESS BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT SHE'S A GIRL? GOD!!!
When the train finally pulled into the station, there was a rush to get off. Ron and Hermione shot of the compartment like Voldemort himself was on their tails.
ZeldaQueen: Ha ha, Ron and Hermione are scardey-cats! Bitch
Holly, however, hung behind, waving Blaise and a still dazed Draco along and telling them to save her a seat on the carriage. Blaise seemed distinctly unhappy with this but eventually did as she asked.
ZeldaQueen: Because she was the Sue and no one defied her
Soon, only Holly and Remus remained, and they stood in an awkward sort of silence, appraising each other. Truthfully, it was to be expected because, for all of their letters, they had basically only met once… and that had been over two years previous.
ZeldaQueen: Wonderful. Fantastic. We're going to be treated to some sappy re-meeting of them, where we see blatant favoritism of the Sue that Harry never got in canon. I can't wait
A full minute passed in silence, and they continued studying each other. Holly really hadn't gotten a good look at him before since he had been turned away from her most of the trip, and she couldn't help but notice several differences from what she recalled. His hair was greyer now, especially near his temples, and he looked a great deal more worn. His face was tired, weary despite the smile present, and his robes had definitely seen better days.
ZeldaQueen: Being leeched on by a Sue really wears you down
"It's good to see you, Holly" he finally said, interrupting her inspection. He gazed down at her fondly, something nameless passing across his face.
ZeldaQueen: It was resignation to the fact that the Sue wasn't letting go anytime soon
"You, too, R-Professor" the Slytherin responded, actually managing to smile at him.
ZeldaQueen: Fuck me, we're not going to have some copy of Arianna constantly calling Snape "Severus", are we?
He chuckled at her word choice but didn't correct it, merely continuing to look at her.
ZeldaQueen: That wasn't funny. And this isn't touching, it's boring as heck
Another minute passed quietly.
ZeldaQueen: DO SOMETHING!
"Are you all right?" the man inquired as he saw her eyes drift closed and her face tighten. "You did take a nasty turn earlier?"
ZeldaQueen: Oh for the love of God, stop fawning over her!
She made a neutral sound. "I'm much better now," the girl replied honestly enough, not mentioning how tired she suddenly felt.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, that poor little flower! *spits*
More silence.
ZeldaQueen: *hits head against wall*
Holly exhaled, trying to brighten up. "Well, I guess I should be going now."
"Yes, you probably should. You don't want to miss the carriages."
ZeldaQueen: Sorry for repeating myself, but DO SOMETHING!
The girl nodded and was about to step away, but she hesitated. She didn't know what came over her then, but the next thing the Slytherin knew, her arms were wrapped around his middle in a tight hug. It ended a few heartbeats later before he could even react, but it was still enough to give him a very bemused expression as he watched her depart.
ZeldaQueen: *claws at eyes* What the heck? How is this making Harry Potter so boring?
The third-year hurried to her friends' carriage, finding it with ease.
ZeldaQueen: I guess those carriages fill up nice and slow, since there's conveniently still room in there
She wasn't really shocked to see Luna inside, greeting her friend with as much happiness as she could muster under the circumstances.
ZeldaQueen: I'm sorry, why should she be so miserable? I know there was the Dementor thing, but I didn't get the feeling that she was affected nearly as much as Harry, plus she had the chocolate, plus she had that sappy reunion with Lupin
The Ravenclaw seemed to understand perfectly, not taking offence in the slightest, merely content to hum to herself as they were taken to Hogwarts.
ZeldaQueen: Poor Luna. The suethor has lobotomized you
On the other hand, Holly was surprised to discover that the fourth person in the carriage was not Draco, but rather a fifth-year Hufflepuff.
ZeldaQueen: And this is important...why?
The older girl was wedged in next to Blaise, and she was looking strangely at him. Or more specifically the black ball of fluff in his arms. Luna, too, seemed interested, clearly wondering why he had brought the cat with him.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, who brought the dog?
The boy merely shrugged when asked, trying to appear nonchalant, telling them that his poor Snuffles was sick and shouldn't be left alone. His eyes flickered to Holly when he said this, and she caught his unspoken words, though she seemed to be the only one. Blaise hadn't left Sirius in case the Dementors came back.
ZeldaQueen: Yes suethor, thank you so very much for holding our hands through that. Are you going to help me cross the street next?
Soon enough, they were in the castle, eager to move into the Great Hall. However, McGonagall put a damper on those plans when she called Holly, Hermione, and Draco over and took them to her office. There, Madam Pomfrey fussed over the two Slytherins for several moments, mumbling about their delicate state. The witch insisted that they spend the night in the Hospital Wing, but she was finally dissuaded from that idea after a receiving two very Snape-like glares.
ZeldaQueen: Oh my God, will you stop speeding through stuff? That was supposed to be a funny scene that also showed that McGonagall cared about Harry's wellbeing! And you're just speeding through it while making it look like McGonagall is inconveniencing you again! You also skipped the other point of this bit, the fact that it's acknowledged that Lupin knew to hand out the chocolate, thus establishing him as a competent teacher for a change!
Oh, and Holly? Draco? *slaps them* Stop with the "Snape-like glares". There is no way in hell that two cream puffs such as yourself could pull anything remotely like that off, certainly not well enough to scare people so you could have your way. All I can see is you acting like petulant children.
Afterwards, Draco was told to wait out in the hall, while the Transfiguration professor presented the two girls each with their very own hourglass. It took a moment for Holly to realise what they were.
Time Turners.
ZeldaQueen: Because that's what this entitlement whore needs! The ability to travel through time! You know, they don't just hand those out to any students with conflicted schedules. Hermione got one because she was a model student. I'd hardly call Holly a model student, especially given her bitchy behavior thus far
Several minutes later, a very satisfied Holly sauntered into the corridor, her tiredness momentarily forgotten.
ZeldaQueen: So the only thing that appeases her is if she's given something very valuable and powerful?
You know, I can't find it right now, but there's a political cartoon from pre-World War II. It showed Hiter as an infant, sucking on a bottle labeled "Munich Compromise" as the adults in the next room whispered how they hoped it would keep him satisfied and from throwing a tantrum to demand more. That line there brought that cartoon to mind
Draco joined her on the trek down to the Great Hall, watching him curiously. She noticed that he was still just as pale as he had been on the train, but he shook off her interest, redirecting it by asking what McGonagall had wanted. The girl merely replied that she had worked out the complications in her schedule, smirking faintly the entire time.
ZeldaQueen: What do you want to bet she horns in on all of Hermione's awesomeness for the climax? *sighs*
It took him a second, but he caught on, barely resisting the urge to laugh out loud. Their little scheme had worked. Now, they just had to tell their fellow conspirators.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, these certainly sound like a trustworthy bunch to give the power of time travel to! I can only hope that someone catches the little bastards abusing it and get them arrested
The two made it to the Great Hall and sat in the space between Blaise and Milli. The heavy-set girl was holding Snuffles, apparently having stolen him away, while a nearby Pansy scratched under his chin. Holly frowned when she noticed that the kitten's eyes were open and groggily staring at her, as if confused about where he was. She shot a questioning look to Blaise, who leaned forward and whispered that the Sleeping spell had only just worn off. They had timed it so Sirius would wake up just after the feast, but the delay with the Dementors had thrown off their schedule. Still, as long as he remembered himself and behaved, there wouldn't be a problem.
ZeldaQueen: This bit of pointlessness brought to you by Child of Grace
A moment later, Dumbledore stood up to make his year speech, and Holly belatedly realised that they had missed the Sorting. It was too late to worry about it now, but she did wonder who had called the role in McGonagall's place.
ZeldaQueen: Ready to skim through the stuff the suethor is to lazy to give detail for?
Her earlier guess was soon proven correct when Remus was introduced as the new Defence professor.
ZeldaQueen: The "Defence" professor? What will they be de-fencing? Is that at all like "Defense"?
Yet, he didn't really seem to inspire many people with his appearance, especially with his patched robes. So it came as no surprise that he initially received only a disheartened applause, most it from the people from the train compartment. Nevertheless, the rest of Slytherin did join in when they saw their three Housemates clapping so enthusiastically, assuming that the third-years knew something they didn't.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, as if! More like the rest of the Slytherins would laugh at them
The headmaster's next announcement received far more attention than the last, though it really was not all that surprising since it wasn't everyday a teacher retired. Further, there had been numerous wagers placed on how much longer Kettleburn would last, and while Holly wasn't involved with the betting, she couldn't help the trill of unease that shot through her, bubbling in her stomach.
ZeldaQueen: "Unease"? Ohhhh, you bitch!
Hagrid was a nice person, but he probably wouldn't make a good professor, even in a subject like Care of Magical Creatures. After all, he did think that dragons and three-headed dogs made excellent pets. She could only imagine what kind of monstrosities he would actually try to teach about.
ZeldaQueen: What a sweet little girl! I certainly would rather read about her than Harry! Where's my sword?
Afterwards, when the clapping had finally died down, the Head Boy and Girl were introduced. Holly was surprised to learn that Percy had won the position, a fact Ron had failed to mention.
ZeldaQueen: Maybe he didn't tell you because you've been actively ignoring him!
By this point, a fair number of the students were shifting in their seats quite ready for the feast to be served. However, Dumbledore disappointed them, choosing to make one final announcement.
The old man's face unexpectedly turned grave, his eyes losing some of their customary twinkle as they swept around the room.
ZeldaQueen: They got the Great Hall clean as a whistle!
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." Dumbledore paused for a moment, his gaze roving around before adding, "They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks." Holly's eyes widened momentarily at that implication.
ZeldaQueen: STOP HOLDING MY HAND!
"It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you."
ZeldaQueen: No, no! Don't warn the Sue that! Let her go wandering around and get her soul sucked out!
Eh, what am I saying? She doesn't have a soul
He looked at the students for a moment longer, and Holly had the distinct impression that Dumbledore was not the least bit pleased with this arrangement. Yet, the appearance of the feast soon distracted her, and she tucked in gratefully.
ZeldaQueen: (Sue) "Oh well, I don't care! Food!"
Unfortunately, a few minutes into the meal, Holly found that she couldn't eat anymore, in spite of her barely touched plate. Her stomach was churning, making her queasy, and only some of it was due to the fact that Milli still hadn't put Sirius down. The other girl was cuddling him to her chest, stroking his little head and chatting with Pansy. She hadn't even started to eat herself, and it took a moment for Holly to come to the conclusion that she was waiting for her companion to finish so they could switch roles.
ZeldaQueen: You know suethor, if you actually put more emotion into your scenes, I might actually understand why Holly is feeling ill. Right now, I just get the feeling she has the flu
Sirius, in turn, was just taking it all in without apparent objection. In fact, his silver-blue eyes were half-shut. The visible part was glazed over as he hadn't fully recovered from the magically induced slumber. However, he was awake enough to take the piece of meat Theo offered him, and he actually gave a little purr of contentment.
Holly managed a faint smile at this and made a mental note to tease him about it later when he was conscious enough to be embarrassed, but another twist of her belly soon distracted her. It took her a moment to calm her stomach, and midway through, Blaise's hand found hers under the table. He gave a fierce squeeze, letting her know that he sensed something was wrong but that he wasn't going to draw attention by asking out loud. She merely shook her head in reply and looked away.
ZeldaQueen: You know, just for once, I'd like to see her handle problems herself
Next to her, she noticed that Draco had also pushed away his plate, his face still unusually pale. His dull gaze met hers, and shiver went up her spine in memory of what she had seen earlier. Holly knew that it had to be one of his memories, but she had no idea where it took place or even how old he had been at the time.
ZeldaQueen: Suethor, stop trying to rack up sympathy for Malfoy. He's a git and we all know it. Except for you, apparently
Regardless, if the clues were anything to go by, he had been quite young, and the man had clearly been a relative, someone Draco had cared for. She wanted to ask him about it but didn't dare do it until they were alone. Honestly, she wasn't even sure how to broach the subject.
ZeldaQueen: Then don't. Lord knows, I don't care
"So what's its name?" Milli asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.
When Holly blinked in confusion, she pointed to the kitten that was now with Pansy.
"Oh… Snuffles," Holly replied, feeling her belly coil, though with nervousness this time. She fought the urge to fidget and shift in her seat, watching Milli take a bite of potato and idly hoping that she had remembered to magic her hands clean.
"Snuffles?" Pansy repeated from the heavy-set girl's other side. "That's an unusual name."
"More of a dog's name really," Gavin, who was across from them, put in with agreement.
ZeldaQueen: Har har, I see what you did thar!
"My sisters named him," Blaise said, managing to keep a straight face. "You know how they are. They come up with the craziest names. Remember that owl we used to have-"
"You mean," Draco interrupted, his face brightening for an instant, "Gracefully Flies by the Pretty Trees and-"
"Yes, yes… that's the one," Blaise cut in, preventing his friend from saying the rest of the ridiculously long name his little sisters had come up with.
ZeldaQueen: *dully* Hooray for stealing characterization from Ginny and Ron. And look at that! The Ginny-Sue-Sister replacements give pretty Mary Sue ridiculous names to their pets, you know, instead of names that are actually silly
Blond's lips twisted into a smirk, but both it and his face soon faltered. "Wait. Didn't your cousin accidentally hex her to death?"
Blaise sighed heavily. "Yes… and she was such a good owl."
ZeldaQueen: ... How does one "accidentally" hex an owl to death? That's...that's just sinister
The other Slytherins exchanged glances, but they mercifully remained silent. The conversation drifted afterwards, moving on to how everyone's summer had been. This wasn't exactly Holly's favourite topic either, but at least, it was better than the previous one.
ZeldaQueen: Because hey, she can angst about it!
She deftly avoided most discussion of her holiday, only mentioning that she had again spent it with Blaise. Her fellow Serpents were on to her tricks, however, apparently remembering the summer between first and second year. They spent the rest of the meal peppering her with all sorts of questions, waiting for her to let something slip.
ZeldaQueen: No! Don't encourage her!
By the end of the feast, Holly finally managed to get them to stop, mostly by refusing to say anything. She was very tired, her stomach ached, and her head was beginning to throb. She wouldn't really feel like answering on her best day, and she most definitely wasn't up to it now. As such, the girl graciously thanked the Maker when Dumbledore dismissed them.
ZeldaQueen: Ha ha! The rat poison I slipped in her food is working splendidly!
But her luck seemed to be in top form today as she ended up walking with Milli and Pansy to dungeons, Blaise and Draco just in front of her. Her roommates were just as enthralled with Snuffles as they had been at dinner, practically fawning over him. They were now taking turn talking to the kitten, sounding much like Hermione had with Crookshanks. Holly tuned the pair of them out and followed Draco down the corridor, idly staring at the back of his head and allowing her mind to wander.
ZeldaQueen: It never came back, for it was such a wee thing that it got quite lost
It drifted back to the blond's memory and from there to the woman's scream she had heard afterwards. The lady sounded familiar… so very familiar, but Holly just couldn't seem to place her. The girl knew that she had heard that voice before; she just couldn't remember where. It brought to mind comfort and happiness, though she really couldn't think of why.
ZeldaQueen: Oh for the love of - she's going to remember it's her mother. I just know it
And it was a riddle that would probably eat at her for the next several days and weeks until she figured it out. Even just thinking of it made her temples throb harder.
ZeldaQueen: Well, if it brings her pain, never mind. I'm all for it
"Oh, I forgot to ask earlier." Milli's voice cut into her thoughts once again, managing to speak loudly enough to gain the attention of everyone around them.
Holly turned tired green eyes to her year-mate, feeling queasy and wishing nothing more than to drop into her bed and sleep. Despite all that, she gestured for the other girl to continue.
"Is Snuffles a girl or boy?" Milli inquired, stroking the kitten under the chin delicately as she walked down the corridor.
Holly blinked, her mind trying to process the question, but before she could answer, the heavy-set Slytherin rolled her eyes and hoisted him in the air, looking underneath.
ZeldaQueen: She couldn't have done this herself...why?
"Definitely a boy."
Snuffles mewed pitifully. The students around them sniggered. Blaise ran his hands over his face.
Holly didn't know whether she should laugh or cry.
ZeldaQueen: I'd go with cry. Definitely
AN: Okay, this came off a bit sillier than I intended, but well… that can't really be helped.
ZeldaQueen: Yes it can. Remove a lot of the angst and it will be a lot more tolerable
Also, it's a magic train, so I'm going under the assumption that eight people can fit in a compartment. I know that Hermione is acting rather odd in this chapter, but some people get really peculiar about their pets. The same goes for Milli and Pansy, even if it isn't their cat.
ZeldaQueen: Except that while Hermione was motherly towards Crookshanks, she didn't use him as a cuddletoy. Oh, and we did see in canon how Hermione treated her cat, so if you had bothered to use that, you wouldn't have to explain it here
Additionally, Remus sent word about Draco because he saw his reaction, whereas he didn't in canon.
ZeldaQueen: *pleasantly* Oh, that's nice! Thank you, suethor. Just one little problem there. Well, one problem aside from the fact that you seem determined to angst up Malfoy's reaction to the Dementors, to make people feel sorry for him. You see, dear suethor, YOU NEVER TOLD US THAT LUPIN WAS THE ONE WHO SENT WORD TO MCGONAGALL AND MADAME POMFREY ABOUT HOLLY AND MALFOY FALLING SICK! Seriously! Just look! We get that McGonagall takes them for a check-up and we get that the two are condescending asshats towards Madame Pomfrey, but we don't get the canon line that Lupin sent word that they passed out. Okay suethor, listen carefully. If you're going to follow canon, include details that pertain to the plot! You're assuming that your readers all know what's going on! This is the Lockhart thing all over. This is just sloppy, no excuses.
Oh, and folks? Who here wants to bet that this mysterious memory of Malfoy's is what the school year mystery will center around, instead of finding out about the Mauraders?
Oh, I've had a lot of people ask about the pairings, and I really don't have an answer to that.
ZeldaQueen: (Suethor) "I mean, Holly just has so many hot guys after her, I just can't choose!"
When I started this story, I had one in mind for Holly, but I'm not so sure about it now. Another character has made himself known, and now, I can't decide who would be best for her.
ZeldaQueen: Because God knows, genocidal and insane spirits are great choices for boyfriends
Truthfully, I might have her date around some before she settles on one person, but then again, I might not. It just depends on how the story evolves.
ZeldaQueen: SHE'S THIRTEEN!
To everyone who reviewed: Thanks.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Talons, Tealeaves, and Time Turners
ZeldaQueen: Looks like that's where she's meeting Trelawny and seeing Hagrid's first lesson, huh? Oh wait, and that's also where Malfoy gets injured in canon... *turns green* I'm not looking forward to this...
Ever Hopeful,
Azar
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ZeldaQueen: On one final note to you guys, I got a buttload of hours for work this week and those leave me really drained when I get home, so I probably won't be updating as quickly. I also don't know if these new hours will be the norm for awhile, seeing as a lot of employees are going back to school, so things might be slow for quite some time. I'll keep up as much as I can though!
Onward to: Chapter 28: Talons, Tealeaves, And Time Turners
Back to: Chapter 27: Draco Demented (Part 1)
Return to: Table of Contents