PROMISES Chapter 6
Chapter 6 : Palatine.
For professional reasons, Draco was absent for a few days, leaving Hermione alone in his huge library, alone with her thoughts and anguishes. If her reading lightened her over her condition, nothing brought her closer to a solution to her problem. The cursed book's informations were insufficient. All she understood is that the dragon needed multiple souls and ancient magic to come to life. And Hermione seemed to be in the middle of the process. Maybe she wasn't posing the right question; she wasn't working on the right lead. But the only question was 'how to remove the curse', wasn't it? The memory of Malfoy insisting on Melusine's sisters came to her and...
"Malfoy!" She gasped, getting up like a soldier standing at attention.
Maybe the answer was the fact that Draco Malfoy was able to see her! How come he was the only person in the world that able to communicate with her? She didn't believe in the hazard... But how could she resolve this clue? Where should she start researching? She noticed with exasperation that she had let go of the book she was reading in her brusque movement. Not able to grab it anymore, she decided to take a break.
She joined Ron and Harry in their flat during their lunch. She sat in a corner, like she always did, watching their life like attending a play. This time, she felt a little uneasy though; her heart was heavy. She was hurting, but couldn't figure out where exactly. Not only was she carrying an unknown suffering, but she couldn't even tell where this seed of sorrow was coming from.
What is happening to me?' the girl wondered. She started slowly walking around the flat, glancing at her friends with envy as they laughed heartedly. She felt frustrated.
Is it only loneliness?' Her thoughts went to Malfoy, who shared her life for last few weeks. He wasn't the best of company; nevertheless, he had broken her loneliness and had given her the security she couldn't have found in herself. When he announced that he had to be absent for work, she had felt a little disappointment. The idea of paying him a visit crossed her mind. 'Why not?'
Ignoring the probability that he won't appreciate the visit, she left Harry and Ron and appear in the middle of a trial. The magical Court wasn't numerous, that explain why a judge interrupted himself when Draco stood up of surprise.
"Mister Malfoy?"
"Hum, huh, my apologies, I thought I was called to testify."
He sat down, half embarrassed-half irritated. Hermione nodded at Draco who gratified her with a furious look, and went in the far back of the room to not disturb him more. She recognized the stenographer, Marietta Edgecombe. In the center of the room, Blaise Zabini and Padma Patil were sitting.
Continue on, Mrs. Zabini." A member of the court said.
Hermione glared at Padma, who got up calmly from her chair. She seemed worried but determined.
"My husband was like water, no one can handle him. Usually, his mind is elsewhere. Even during our wedding, he was thinking about something else. I don't think he even knows what love actually means, the humanity and the generosity it implies. I thought he loved me because he never denied me anything. I had all I needed; whereas, all he needed was a slave, a personal prostitute. Anyway in the end, he wasn't even there when we made love, certainly thinking about his numerous lovers. Blaise Zabini doesn't respect women, and above all he doesn't even respect his own wife. I think it comes from his childhood, raised by a single and charismatic woman."
She turned her head in Zabini's direction, as if talking directly to him. "I used to tell him, 'you think you're looking for your father, but you're running away from your mother, idiot.' Of course, he didn't appreciate that, but later, he told me that it was the most sensible thing anyone had ever said to him."
Padma looked back at the court as she finished her plead; her body tensed. Although her eyes were a dark color, they were shining reflecting the fire burning inside her.
She sat down and the judge spoke. "Mister Zabini, do you recognize yourself in this description?"
"Yes, Sir."
Do you want to summon someone to testify against Mrs. Padma Zabini?"
"No, Sir."
"Do you deny any of the accusations your wife has pronounced during the last trial and the one presently proceeding?"
"No, Sir."
Padma raised a skeptical eyebrow, surprised to see him so resigned.
Do you agree with her decision to divorce, all faults on you?
"Yes, sir."
Incredulous, Padma stared at her future-ex-husband, wondering what game he was playing.
"What about your son?"
"She can have complete custody of him. I'm not a good father."
Both Draco and Padma stood up at his words.
"Does any member of the court want to add something?" The main judge demanded as he ignored their reactions.
The court stayed silent. Padma slowly sat back down, not detaching her regard from Blaise while Draco was fuming inside.
"Hereby, I pronounce the divorce of Miss and Mister Zabini, from now on Mister Zabini and Miss Patil. All faults to Mister Zabini. As consequence, he will repay them by a payment of damages which will be determined by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's Accountant at later date. Miss Patil obtains the custody of the child, Demeter Zabini. However, the child will see his father thirty days each year until he has reached adulthood. The trial is adjourned. This judgment is final and binding."
The assembly got up in a hubbub of chairs and conversations. Padma and Blaise were still staring at each other, not moving from their seats. Hermione saw Draco walking quickly towards his friend grabbing his arm and pulling him out of his daze. Padma made to move towards the two men, but Draco immediately raised a hand to stop her.
"Don't approach him, bitch!"
The witch stepped back. "I never wanted this," she murmured. Blaise simply nodded and she was gone.
Hermione waited for Blaise to leave the restaurant that he and Malfoy had lunch at before approaching Malfoy. She stood in front of him, her body swallowing the black wooden chair.
"I wonder how a bitch like you ended up in Gryffindor." He said, cool and calm, obliged to restrain his annoyance as they were surrounded by people.
" I'm sorry... "
"What don't you understand in the word privacy?"
"I had no intention to meddle in your private life. I was just feeling lonely. I'm actually sorry." She flushed with embarrassment, avoiding his boiling glare. "Truth be told, I missed talking to someone. I can't take loneliness anymore."
Draco considered her for a moment, then took a sip of his coffee before saying, "It's been five months since you disappeared, aren't you used to it?"
She shook her head. "It's unbearable."
"I like loneliness." Draco admitted quite pompously. "When I was...younger, my strategy was to accept loneliness as it is, even to feel a great pleasure about being on my own. I've become my own best friend and acted in consequence."
"It's sad," commented Hermione.
"No, it's not. I learned how to appreciate every instant of loneliness and developed my creativity. It was like embellishing the world. Sometimes loneliness is a real treasure."
Hermione looked at him with great interest, trying to imagine the young Draco painting or playing a piano. 'Embellishing the world with art, to struggle against loneliness,' that was a strange image.
There was a silence after that, both lost in their own thoughts.
"Sometimes, I go to amazing places trying to forget about my condition and admire the world, though it does not last long enough since the night ends up falling." Hermione started in a quiet voice. "Like the day I visited Moscow and stood above the Kremlin to watch the dawn."
"Where else have you been?" Draco questioned, highly intrigued.
She recounted her trip to Russia, described the inside of a volcano, told him what Queen Elisabeth's favorite meal was, and other stories. He admitted that her explorations were interesting. It must have been awesome to visit forbidden places. She told him that being more worthless than a ghost wasn't that awesome. She missed people she loved.
"I don't exist anymore. There were times when I actually wanted to die. I lived in absolute loneliness. You can't imagine what it's like to not be able to speak to anyone, to be transparent, to not exist in anyone's life anymore. So, you must understand my reaction when I realized that you could see me. I still wonder why, but I wish it will last long enough for us to find the counter-curse. I think I can talk for hours. I need you; I need your help."
A tear pearled in the corner of her eye. Draco felt a hint of pity for his former rival, thanking Merlin he wasn't in her shoes. Next to this feeling, he was experienced something new, something growing up in the deep down of his being : the desire to alleviate her suffering and misfortune.
"You know, I had a symposium in Paris yesterday." He suddenly said. "I took the opportunity to go to the library in the Louvre and did some research about Melusine's sister."
"They're dead."
"Melior was killed, but according to the legend, Palatine is supposed to be in North Africa. Her name is the French declension of the Greek name Palaistinē, as Palestine."
"They lived during the twelfth century, Malfoy. I know what you're intending to do, but sorry, if Palatine is still alive, it's uselessly dangerous. Since she must be dead by now, we should focus on something else." Hermione said wiping away her tear.
"Listen to me first. Everybody thinks all of this is a story: Melusine, Palatine, the dragon. They think it's a simple myth. You told me to not underestimate legends. If this book is a proof of their existence, then it's a proof of Palatine's treasure existence, too!"
"Shh! Don't speak so loud Malfoy."
The young man glanced at the other tables, and some costumers were shooting him strange looks. "We're about to discover the answer to one of the greatest wizard mysteries." He continued on, in a whisper, "We can be more than heroes, we-"
"Can be glorious?" Hermione cut in. "You are, hypothetically, about to be glorious and richer! What if all we find is the skeleton of a Dragon?"
'And what about me?' Hermione thought.
"That would mean the treasure is free to take."
"And I'd stay invisible."
"Listen, I promised that I'd find a solution to your problem, and I have this intuition that Palatine can help us."
Hermione wondered if she could trust him. When she thought about Malfoy intuition, the answer was definitely no, she couldn't. All the more so she was certain that he was principally attracted by Palatine's treasure.
Long, long ago, where King's René Castle would later be built was a gigantic cave. And inside this cave, lurked a monster as ugly as it was cruel. Few people could describe it precisely because those who, unfortunately, had met him,had also met death. The horrible creature decimated everything in its way: animals, old villagers, young girls.
One day, twelve young and brave men decided to punish it for its crimes. They waited for twilight to start their attack, but the monster ate them in one gulp. Only three combatants of the group succeeded in fleeing. On their way back to the village, they met a young woman; her head and body hidden inside a white veil and tunic.
"Why do you look so devastated?" She asked.
"We failed to defeat the Tarasque. "
"What is the Tarasque?"
"The Tarasque is a terrible dragon that hides in a cave next to the river. No one has ever succeeded in vanquishing it. "
"Tomorrow, I'll meet the dragon."
"It'll devour you as it devoured our friends. "
"We will see. Can you lend me a straw bed and some food? In exchange, I'll beat the beast."
The following morning, as promised, she went to the cave.
A thundering voice resounded, "Who are you, you cheeky person?"
" My name is Wyvern Martha. I come from the country of Judea, overseas."
"Aren't you scared of me?" The beast asked angrily.
"Why would I? Why would you scare me?" Then the woman heard heavy footsteps and roars approaching.
The dragon appeared in front of her. "People call me the Tarasque. I am so ugly that those who see me can't bear it. My halitosis smell… is so putrid that those who approach me can't breathe."
"My eyes can see you; they're not blind. My nose can smell; it is not indisposed." The strange girl replied.
The dragon lifted a heavy and dirty paw over her head.
"Watch out, you'll dirty my linen!" Wyvern gasped stepping back.
The beast stayed immobile, as if frozen by those words.
Then Wyvern Martha added in a smoother voice, "Poor Tarasque. It seems that no one has taken care of you. Come and sit with me next to the river and tell me about your pain. I've experienced difficult moments, too; I had to flee from my village. Now that I can go home, I'm afraid to find my relatives and country changed, old or dead. "
The dragon seemed to come back to life and sat by her side at the edge of the river. Wyvern Martha told the dragon about her country, her family, and her friends. She talked about her journey to France, and her haste to get back home. She talked about love and hope. She talked so well that the dragon, tamed, fell asleep by her side.
Enraptured by this prodigy, some fishermen hurried to inform every inhabitants of the area. An amazing crowd rushed to the river and found the young woman, undressed, cleaning out the mud on the dragon's scales with her white linen. To their disgust her hair was snakes, and her body was covered with scales too. They dashed for Wyvern and the Tarasque with axes, spears, and stakes.
"No! I beg you. She's not bad anymore." She tried to say, but they pierced the monster with their weapons, and the Wyvern flew into the sky to escape the humans. She stared at their barbarity for a moment with consternation.
Before giving its last gasp, the beast gave the Wyvern a grateful sigh, "With you for the first time, I felt my heart emptied, my hatred out, my breath became pure, and my eyes became tender. For a moment, I even believed I could become beautiful! "
Hermione closed the book and exchanged a look with Malfoy.
"She never beat the dragon. She just had a chat with it. " The young man stated incredulously.
"If only it was that simple," sighed Hermione, "In fact, Wyvern Martha had tamed the dragon. That was the actual moment the beast was beaten."
There was something about the way Wyvern treated the Tarasque, but it was hidden. Her name roused Hermione's interest. According to her knowledge, wyverns were winged snakes with two legs and breasts, except for French wizards who claimed that a wyvern was a fairy who appeared as a woman when it's happy, or as a dragon when it's angry.
"What kind of curse would have a nice chat as a counter-curse?" Draco teased.
Hermione shrugged, lost in her thoughts.
"Where did Wyvern go after that? Did she reach her home in Judea? Isn't that where Palatine's mountain is located?" Draco asked.
Hermione met Draco's eyes, and knew what point he was trying to make. There was an indisputable link between Wyvern Martha, the Tarasque, and Palatine.
"The only risk we'll take is disappointment." Draco attested holding her gaze.
Hermione wasn't actually frightened by the danger; after all, Draco was the one risking his life. She was just annoyed by his cupidity.
"When are your next free days?" She asked.
"Next week. Are we going to Palestine, then? "
"Yes."