Stars Go Blue: Chapter 16
Standard Disclaimer applies. Mature.
Mara scowled at the blond who was sprawled across her bed as she packed. Only Draco Malfoy could make a sprawl look elegant, and she wanted to smack him. Of course, as nothing was stopping her but herself, she felt no remorse in dumping her underwear drawer over his face.
"What was that for?" Draco asked, sitting up sharply and knocking most of the knickers off of him; most but not all.
As Mara burst out laughing, Draco reached up and removed a lacy pair of red knickers off of his head.
"Charming," he drawled, folding them deftly and considering them for a moment, "I think you'd look lovely in these."
Mara merely threw a book at his head which he easily knocked aside.
"I'm trying to pack, you inconsiderate lug," she informed him, "if you're not going to help, go away."
"I folded your knickers for you, didn't I?'
Mara gave a frustrated sigh, and continued packing.
Severus Snape listened carefully outside the door of the secret dorm. He could hear Draco's distinctive drawl, and Mara's laughter; much like the laughter Tom had when there was a pleasant joke he actually enjoyed, rare as that was.
Well and so, it was no time for reflection upon the past and what would never again be... He was on a mission. Quietly he gave the password to the portrait of Dumbledore, who smiled knowingly, and entered the common room.
Draco had heard him coming, and had planted himself between the door and Mara.
"Professor."
"Draco."
As the two of them stared at each other, both trying to convey the importance of their mission to their trusted friend, Mara slipped out the window.
She had known, of course, that her grandfather would send for her; she even knew what exactly he wanted. Yet she was not quite ready for that knowledge to become reality... Not yet. This diversion had also enabled her to slip free of putting Draco in danger; something she had not yet figured out how to do.
Quietly she crept along the outside ledge of the castle, and then, mentally slapping herself, she pulled out her wand and levitated herself to the ground. When she touched down, she was already well hidden.
"What do you mean you already lost her?"
Harry Potter's voice rang out across the Great Hall that night at supper, drawing attention to himself and Draco Malfoy from every pair of eyes.
Hermione cleared her throat and gestured to Harry to hush, and he lowered his voice so that only she, Ron, Ginny and Draco could hear him.
"What do you mean," he asked again, as Draco stared at him icily.
"I mean exactly what I say, Potter," Draco drawled, "which part exactly don't you understand? The 'I', the 'lost', or the 'her'?"
"I knew we couldn't trust you to keep her safe!"
"We wouldn't have had to trust anyone to keep her safe if some bloody prat hadn't let slip that she is who she is!"
As the two boys argued, and voices raised again, a single person stood and exited the Great Hall, quite unnoticed.
"Severus," Voldemort's voice sounded weary, "why have you failed?"
"Master," Severus bowed, forming his response in his head, "I fear that she has taken it upon herself to come to you upon her own terms. If that is so, she has merely inherited it from you, and it would perhaps ruin her to force her to come over against her will."
A man listened at the doorway and cursed Snape; he was too good at making Voldemort see reason. This was a glitch in the plan... After all that had happened, all that he had planned, Snape and that Malfoy brat could still ruin it all. Well and so, that would not happen...
In the shadows, the dark figure slunk away, off to meet with an informant; he needed to find the girl and carry out more of his plan, too much was being left to chance at this point. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
Mara sat alone in the forest; if anyone had thought of it she would be easy to find, but more often than not hiding in plain sight was the most efficient.
Draco won't be impressed, but he'll understand. You couldn't have him following you around; not if you actually care for him. Your grandfather wants to eliminate the perceived competition, and that, is you, and that is liable to get Draco killed. Oh, Grandfather might make a bit of a job of it, by giving you leeway to move... time to live... long enough to help destroy Harry Potter... Damn Harry Potter. He's the reason this decision must be made with such haste. If he had TALKED to me about it, or ANYTHING other than yelling out that I'm the granddaughter of a deranged madman responsible for the loss of someone from EVERYONE's life that is in that school...Yet, you could have approached him as well, told him everything.... What everything, Mara? That you're the granddaughter of Tom Riddle, but he's never responded to your owls in all your life, so it doesn't matter? Who are you kidding? Of course it matters... it matters to everyone more than you could fathom. Why should HIS family live when theirs have not? Why should you be given a chance when fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers were not?
As she contemplated her situation, the stars went blue. Unbeknown to her, this was a devastating turn of events.
He smiled. The Malfoy brat and Harry Potter were arguing over the girl... and his unwilling informant (who'd thrown the Imperius off three times before he bent her will to his) was brutally jealous. The girl had a nasty temper on her. But she'd told him that Mara was indeed alone, and now the stars had gone blue, revealing the girl's location.
This was turning out marvelously. He crept up behind her and with a "Stupefy", she was his.
Draco Malfoy saw the stars turn blue as well, and knew exactly what that meant. He turned to the Trio, who were sitting in his common room, and gestured outside.
"She's in the forest... by the lake."
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"The stars turned blue."
Mara scowled at the blond who was sprawled across her bed as she packed. Only Draco Malfoy could make a sprawl look elegant, and she wanted to smack him. Of course, as nothing was stopping her but herself, she felt no remorse in dumping her underwear drawer over his face.
"What was that for?" Draco asked, sitting up sharply and knocking most of the knickers off of him; most but not all.
As Mara burst out laughing, Draco reached up and removed a lacy pair of red knickers off of his head.
"Charming," he drawled, folding them deftly and considering them for a moment, "I think you'd look lovely in these."
Mara merely threw a book at his head which he easily knocked aside.
"I'm trying to pack, you inconsiderate lug," she informed him, "if you're not going to help, go away."
"I folded your knickers for you, didn't I?'
Mara gave a frustrated sigh, and continued packing.
Severus Snape listened carefully outside the door of the secret dorm. He could hear Draco's distinctive drawl, and Mara's laughter; much like the laughter Tom had when there was a pleasant joke he actually enjoyed, rare as that was.
Well and so, it was no time for reflection upon the past and what would never again be... He was on a mission. Quietly he gave the password to the portrait of Dumbledore, who smiled knowingly, and entered the common room.
Draco had heard him coming, and had planted himself between the door and Mara.
"Professor."
"Draco."
As the two of them stared at each other, both trying to convey the importance of their mission to their trusted friend, Mara slipped out the window.
She had known, of course, that her grandfather would send for her; she even knew what exactly he wanted. Yet she was not quite ready for that knowledge to become reality... Not yet. This diversion had also enabled her to slip free of putting Draco in danger; something she had not yet figured out how to do.
Quietly she crept along the outside ledge of the castle, and then, mentally slapping herself, she pulled out her wand and levitated herself to the ground. When she touched down, she was already well hidden.
"What do you mean you already lost her?"
Harry Potter's voice rang out across the Great Hall that night at supper, drawing attention to himself and Draco Malfoy from every pair of eyes.
Hermione cleared her throat and gestured to Harry to hush, and he lowered his voice so that only she, Ron, Ginny and Draco could hear him.
"What do you mean," he asked again, as Draco stared at him icily.
"I mean exactly what I say, Potter," Draco drawled, "which part exactly don't you understand? The 'I', the 'lost', or the 'her'?"
"I knew we couldn't trust you to keep her safe!"
"We wouldn't have had to trust anyone to keep her safe if some bloody prat hadn't let slip that she is who she is!"
As the two boys argued, and voices raised again, a single person stood and exited the Great Hall, quite unnoticed.
"Severus," Voldemort's voice sounded weary, "why have you failed?"
"Master," Severus bowed, forming his response in his head, "I fear that she has taken it upon herself to come to you upon her own terms. If that is so, she has merely inherited it from you, and it would perhaps ruin her to force her to come over against her will."
A man listened at the doorway and cursed Snape; he was too good at making Voldemort see reason. This was a glitch in the plan... After all that had happened, all that he had planned, Snape and that Malfoy brat could still ruin it all. Well and so, that would not happen...
In the shadows, the dark figure slunk away, off to meet with an informant; he needed to find the girl and carry out more of his plan, too much was being left to chance at this point. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
Mara sat alone in the forest; if anyone had thought of it she would be easy to find, but more often than not hiding in plain sight was the most efficient.
Draco won't be impressed, but he'll understand. You couldn't have him following you around; not if you actually care for him. Your grandfather wants to eliminate the perceived competition, and that, is you, and that is liable to get Draco killed. Oh, Grandfather might make a bit of a job of it, by giving you leeway to move... time to live... long enough to help destroy Harry Potter... Damn Harry Potter. He's the reason this decision must be made with such haste. If he had TALKED to me about it, or ANYTHING other than yelling out that I'm the granddaughter of a deranged madman responsible for the loss of someone from EVERYONE's life that is in that school...Yet, you could have approached him as well, told him everything.... What everything, Mara? That you're the granddaughter of Tom Riddle, but he's never responded to your owls in all your life, so it doesn't matter? Who are you kidding? Of course it matters... it matters to everyone more than you could fathom. Why should HIS family live when theirs have not? Why should you be given a chance when fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers were not?
As she contemplated her situation, the stars went blue. Unbeknown to her, this was a devastating turn of events.
He smiled. The Malfoy brat and Harry Potter were arguing over the girl... and his unwilling informant (who'd thrown the Imperius off three times before he bent her will to his) was brutally jealous. The girl had a nasty temper on her. But she'd told him that Mara was indeed alone, and now the stars had gone blue, revealing the girl's location.
This was turning out marvelously. He crept up behind her and with a "Stupefy", she was his.
Draco Malfoy saw the stars turn blue as well, and knew exactly what that meant. He turned to the Trio, who were sitting in his common room, and gestured outside.
"She's in the forest... by the lake."
"How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"The stars turned blue."