The Awakening of a Royal
Chapter 23: Disownment and QuidditchSilverDawn
Morning came earlier than anyone expected, and by seven, all fourteen students were already seated in the long dining table within the Kadamon Suite, happily eating a light breakfast with the dragonkin, adults and Lightbringer. Of course, Azrael had already apologized to Silverdawn before the meal, an apology that his twin had accepted easily – much to the puzzlement of the prince. Lucifer, on the other hand, had stayed by his stand, not willing to apologize for what he had done, verbally that is. Nevertheless, his gentle attitude to his sister had not gone unnoticed. Apparently, he hadn't meant for Silverdawn to go that upset, and this was enough for him to try making up to her by…
"You made breakfast?" Azrael asked incredulously, carefully poking the slightly burnt toast. Then, taking a bite out of it, he grinned, "Not bad. You made it without magic?"
A slight flush colored the Dueling Master's face, and Lucifer no longer looked like the professor whom students – UWIM and Hogwarts alike – feared. Tracy, who was seated next to her fiancé, giggled slightly, causing Lucifer to look even more uncomfortable. Silverdawn, however, appeared dazed at the platter in front of her, a plate that held her favorite breakfast – waffles and strawberries, with chocolate sauce and maple syrup liberally drizzled on it.
Not many knew of her sweet tooth, and the one that had her hooked to this particular dish was in actuality, the man sitting opposite her. Looking up to stare at similar lavender-amethyst eyes that for once, looked albeit embarrassed, she asked in astonishment, "You made this for me?"
Lucifer never answered, his expression told it all.
Seeing the answer, everyone looked at the breakfast on the table, and glanced back at the Dueling Master, who fidgeted slightly under the stares. Salazar, who had never seen his fellow colleague this self-conscious, smothered a grin, commenting lightly, "I never knew Lucifer could cook."
"These aren't things people will go about flaunting." Severus reminded his brother wryly, "Besides, his skill is considered mediocre in the Angelic World."
"Huh?" Tristan uttered, baffled by what the Potions Master was talking about. Ashteroth sighed, explaining to the humans present, "Every angel learns this as part of their course in Arys Quedantio. Don't ask me why, I cannot even begin to comprehend why men have to learn domestic housework."
Hideaki choked on his muffin at that, "Domestic housework?"
"Yes," Mikael affirmed dryly, "We even have to learn cooking, ironing, mopping, washing of clothes and other stuff… muggle style."
This time, everyone – other than the graduated angels – went wide-eyed. Draco looked as if he was going to fail that course very badly, and Harry just grinned, knowing that he would definitely be able to pass it. Not surprising, sixteen years slogging for the Dursleys did help immensely.
"Man… Even UWIM doesn't go that mad…" Lawrence muttered between bites of bacon, appraising critically, "Professor, other than the bacon being a little overcooked, it's okay. The muffins are edible too!"
His cheeky remark had Lucifer rolling his eyes, inwardly lamenting why he made breakfast for the entire group when all he needed was to make Silver's. Mikael, understanding his twin's exasperation, patted his shoulder in sympathy as he mindspoke, ::How long did you take to do this?::
::About two hours.:: There was a tinge of sulking in Lucifer's mindspeech, and Mikael could not help but laugh. The heir to Hell woke up earlier than usual, spent two hours to make this breakfast, and only received criticism for his effort? No wonder he – Mikael – never tried it, even if it was only to family.
Silverdawn, on the other hand, wasn't really listening to the animated conversation that was going on around her. She just kept staring at the food, surprised beyond belief, until Draco whispered in her ear, "The waffles aren't for display, Silver. Besides, Lucifer's still waiting for your reaction."
As if shaken out of her stupor, Silverdawn carefully cut the waffle and took a bite, savoring the sweet taste in her mouth as the syrup-drenched waffle melted in her mouth before munching on one of the strawberry pieces. It tasted just as nice. Meeting Lucifer's anxious gaze once more, the princess gave a genuine smile, grateful for his remembering what she loved most, "Thanks, Lucifer. It's really good!"
The knot of tension that Lucifer never knew he possessed unraveled at his sister's smile of appreciation. Gruffly, he passed a cup of warm blue mountain coffee to his sister, mumbling a soft, "You're welcome."
Tracy just smiled, glad that the Silverdawn had forgiven Lucifer so quickly – both the princess and her knew that Lucifer is a proud man, and he would never apologize unless he really was in the wrong. This time round, he might not be totally wise in placing the four children in the hands of the Mage Council, but he would not allow anyone to harm his siblings in any way possible, so what the children had done was – in his eyes – unforgivable.
It was only Silverdawn's upset state that had him even contemplating an apology. Still, seeing as he wasn't exactly wrong, the only thing he could do was to mollify Silver with his actions – he would not give a verbal apology that easily. So, having accepted his making her a meal meant accepting his reconciliation, which was why Lucifer looked much happier than he had been last night.
Draco, glad that Silverdawn had gotten over last night's slight quarrel, diverted everyone's attention back to Quidditch, hoping that this would make the other's overlook the previous unhappy event, "Silver, do you want to play? You can take my place instead…"
"No, it's your position, Draco. I won't take it from you." Silverdawn declined firmly as she eyed Harry, who was piling some toast and sausages on Hermione's plate, "Besides, I want to see how you and Harry battle it out."
Harry, hearing his name called, grinned. Finishing another piece of toast, the Gryffindor asked, "Draco, how many angels playing in your team?"
"Hmm…three."
"Okay, then the numbers should balance."
"Who's playing in your team?" Draco asked, immensely curious. Harry, giving his friend a white eye, pointed out, "If I told you now, the element of surprise would be gone."
"Haha, what a joke." The platinum blonde muttered sarcastically, taking a sip from his mocha. It was true that it'd be unfair to know the placements now, but he was truly curious as to who Harry had chosen after knowing that his house had to replace four players in the last minute. No doubt Harry should have guessed whom he'd chosen as replacements, and if so, Harry would definitely have to change his team too. If not, they were bound to lose.
"Well, all I know is that we get to have some fun during this match!" Azrael grinned enthusiastically. It had been a long time since he had played a decent Quidditch match with students his age, and he was looking forward to it. Lawrence, who knew that the angels seldom get to play, nodded in agreement, "True. It's been a long time since we played."
"Too bad the Court only has twelve members. If we had fourteen members, it wouldn't have been that bad…" Hideaki sighed, inciting laughter from everyone present. The Court, by default, consists only of twelve members, and this wasn't enough to fix two teams for friendly Quidditch matches. It had been a constant lament of Court members for generations, but no one seemed to be able to change the Voice's ideal of having fourteen members instead of twelve.
Finishing his breakfast quickly, Draco mindspoke his bonded, ::Silver, do you want to go to the pitch first. I'm dying to try flying now that the seal is down.::
Silverdawn nodded at that, and, having finished her last bite of waffle, stood up, announcing, "We're going over to the pitch first."
With that, the couple made their way out of the room, but not before Silverdawn gave Lucifer a peck on his cheek.
::Thanks, Luce.::
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Instead of heading out to the Quidditch pitch immediately, Draco and Silverdawn wandered around the lush foliage that surrounded Hogwarts, both enjoying the quiet time they had with one another. Ever since the awakening of the three angels, their time had been mostly taken up by extra training, and seldom was there any time for them to actually relax. Thus, this day could be considered a rare holiday for the couple.
Fingers entwined, the couple settled on one of the stone benches littering the garden they had entered, both contemplating the past events.
"So… what did uncle say?" Draco finally asked as he slipped an arm around the girl's waist, snuggling closer to the amused Silverdawn.
"He agreed with my request."
"And?"
"I've already gotten the four of them out." Silverdawn replied, knowing that although Draco did not like them, he still treated the four students as fellow Slytherins, and Slytherins stuck together, for better or for worse. Draco knew that the International Parliament and Mage Council weren't to be taken lightly – they had worse ways of punishing people than just putting people in Azkaban. Hell, Azkaban could be considered heaven should they be sentenced to becoming playthings, or energy sources for some of the worst creatures alive. All in all, they were not very forgiving.
"That's good to hear." Draco murmured softly, inwardly relieved that Silverdawn was willing to let them off. If not, a death sentence would be the lightest punishment they could possibly get. Understanding his relief, the princess teased, "Well, you should worry about yourself, Drake. What if Pansy goes after you again?"
The look of horror that she had anticipated was more than enough for Silverdawn to burst into peals of laughter.
"Heaven forbid!" The platinum blonde exclaimed, shuddering at the thought of Pansy cooing all over him, like she'd done since first year. Between Draco's mortified expression and the exasperated glare he gave her, Silverdawn could not control the urge to laugh again, her voice now tinged with humor, "Don't worry, I've sent Pansy and Millicent to study in Beauxbatons instead. I doubt Lucifer would be able to bear with them, neither would uncle Severus."
"True. What about Crabbe and Goyle? They don't seem to be Beauxbatons material." Draco pointed out, leaving Silverdawn somber, her laughter evident no more.
"I can only send them to Durmstrang. That's the only place possible with their grades." Her eyes dimmed in disappointment, and Draco could not help but hug the girl, "Their fate is theirs to create, Silver. Don't bother about it too much."
"I know. But I still feel bad. If I hadn't come here, they wouldn't have done this. Then uncle Albus would at least have a chance to bring them to the light." Silverdawn mumbled quietly, her tone full of suppressed emotion. She looked to be on the verge of crying, and Draco hugged her even tighter, rubbing soothing circles behind her back.
"Hush, Silver. It'll all turn out well in the end." Draco murmured in between words of comfort. He knew that Silverdawn truly felt bad about causing those four to be thrown in prison – what he did not know was that they had been held in detainment in the worst cells possible.
Silently, the girl shed those angry tears, more remorseful at herself than what they had done to her whilst Draco held her gently, providing the emotional support she never thought could exist. It was seldom that people understood her that easily, and it was even rarer for her to break down in front of people. However, given how Draco was her chosen mate, she should not have been so surprised… It was just that they hadn't been together for a long time, and she still wasn't used to this accepting man before her.
"Draco," the raven-haired seer asked cautiously, "have you ever regretted bonding with me?"
This had been a question that kept nagging in her mind, and she just couldn't seem to just chuck it aside and forget about totally. Indeed, she had reason to worry – they had only known each other for a few weeks – a month tops, and already, they were soul-bound, without much knowledge of one another. It's true that Draco had taken it all in stride, and excelled in what was thrown on him all of a sudden, for this, Silverdawn was more than thankful. Still, there were times when she could not help but feel that she had forced herself unto him, and this had her very insecure about their future.
Draco, on the other hand, felt amused by his lover's question. There was no denying that they had only known one another for a short period of time, but it wasn't exactly uncommon for wizards to experience love-at-first-sight. Well, he had never been a believer of such madness, but having first-hand experience did broaden his view in this arena. Not surprising, he had fallen in love with Silverdawn on the welcoming feast, and this had him more than a little startled. Still, he wasn't exactly pleased to see his bonded in doubt over such an – in him opinion – important matter.
Ticking her forehead slightly, Draco feigned regret and mock teased, "If I've regretted it, what's to be done?"
Not hearing the joking in his words, Silverdawn's face fell.
"I can arrange for the engagement to be canc…" the princess never finished her words, for Draco had captured her lips in a blazing kiss, one, that had her breathless by the time it ended. Peering into his slightly annoyed eyes, Silverdawn could not help but frown in puzzlement, her face flushed pink. She did not understand. Hadn't he said that he had regretted the bonding?
The question, so evident on her face, had Draco sighing in exasperation.
"Silver, honey, I'm joking." Draco explained slowly, knowing that Silverdawn was, as Azrael had told him, as dense as one can possible be when talking about relationships. It's true that Silverdawn has the majority of the male student population in UWIM going after her since her enrollment, but none had been able to get past Lucifer, who was ultra-protective of his only sister. Therefore, despite being one of the most beautiful girls UWIM has ever seen, she had never had a boyfriend until Draco came into the picture.
"Besides, should one of us regret this, it should be you. After all, you're the princess of the Universal Royal Family, heir to the throne of heaven." The Slytherin eyes dimmed slightly, his tone turning self-deprecating, "I am but a son of a Death Eater."
"Draco…" Silverdawn sighed, guilty that she had brought about such unhappiness in the platinum blonde's heart with her brash question.
"I'm sorry." She apologized remorsefully.
"Don't be," Draco shrugged it off easily, placing the mental walls back in place. The hurt he had shown was quickly covered up by his usual smirking self, and idly, he suggested, "Race you over to the pitch. Without wings… hey!"
Before he had finished his sentence, Silverdawn was already running out of the garden, her laughs echoing within the garden as Draco ran after her, growling at her unethical start… in layman's term, that she'd cheated. Turning back to see where Draco was at, Silverdawn squealed, not realizing that he was inching towards her so very quickly. That was also why she never noticed an obstruction in her path until…
"Oof!"
A hard body bumped into her at full force, forcing the breath out of Silverdawn as she fell to the ground. Draco, seeing his beloved fall, hurriedly went forward to help her up, not noticing the man whom the black-haired girl had hit until Silverdawn lifted her face and started apologetically, "I'm sorry…"
Silver eyes widened as she stared into familiar gray eyes that looked as if it held shards of ice, her body stiffening on realization of whom she had crashed into. The immaculate man before her looked slightly shocked by her looks too, but the aristocratic sneer was quickly back in place, as though he had never been shocked by her appearance. The woman beside him however, appeared visibly stunned by the black-haired girl, amber eyes shocked by the familiar face.
"'Tina?" Narcissa gasped in shock, disbelief clearly etched on her pretty face. The girl who had knocked into her husband looked eerily identical to her best friend from afar, and up-close, the only visible differences were her eyes, which were silver, and that her hair was straight all the way, who unlike Athena's, had ebony locks that fell in loose curls at the ends. Even so, it was enough for one to mistake the young girl for Athena Zenvista – or Kadamon, as she herself knew – ex-fiancée to Severus Snape, current Potions Master of Hogwarts. Indeed, even Lucius had been stunned by the girl's appearance, though to others, his face was schooled into the usual Malfoy smirk.
"I'm Silverdawn Langford, Mrs. Malfoy." Silverdawn started politely, silvery eyes sincere as she gave a smile at the still shocked woman. She had seen from her dreams how Narcissa Malfoy had been a loyal friend to her aunt, shielding her even when Lucius had been furious with her allowing for a nursemaid to help with Hermione's birth when Lucius wanted the child to die. Narcissa had been the one to suffer the brunt of Lucius's rage when Athena escaped, and yet, she never disclosed where her friend might have gone when Lucius found out that Athena had not returned to Severus.
"Good morning, Ms. Langford." Narcissa replied, glancing at her son – who still had his arms circled loosely around the girl's waist – absently before returning her attention to Silverdawn. There was something about this girl that she could not pinpoint immediately… her aura felt like the Kadamons, but her surname… Langford. It reminded her of someone who had previously been schooling in Hogwarts, but it was a person whom she could not seem to put a finger on.
Lucius too, felt something nag at him on seeing the girl. Sure, she looked like Athena, but it didn't really feel right. Athena was a beautiful, sensual woman, and although this girl scored full marks in the beauty department, she was too… innocent was the word. It was only when she had given her name in that soft, melodious voice when Lucius's smirk deepened into a menacing scowl. In turn, Silverdawn felt a mild shiver go down her spine as Lucius's cold voice rang around the garden, "So, this is the mudblood that had Draco head over heels in love with."
His words were not a question. It was a statement that bordered on an insult, one, that made Draco's hands itch to punch his father right in the face. Silverdawn, sensing Draco's anger, let a wave of reassurance flow from her hands into his, willing the boy to calm down before his anger caught the better of him. The energy transfer had Draco frowning faintly… After all, she ought to have felt offended by his father's words, considering how insulting it was for a blue-blooded princess to be termed a 'mudblood'.
Silverdawn, however, decided to let this slide by, seeing that it was Draco's father whom they were dealing with. Despite all that the man had done to her aunt, she was still willing to get to know him, simply given the fact that she hoped for Draco to be on good terms with his father. Apparently, this was all in vain.
"Father," Draco started curtly, gray eyes icy, "This is my girlfriend…"
"Break
up with her."
"… And I wish to make her my
fiancé." Draco finished, much to the shock of both his parents. To say that
they were shocked might be an understatement – after all, their reactions to
his announcement were rather drastic. Narcissa looked extremely pleased that
her son had chosen this girl as his future wife – the pure, unadulterated love
she saw in Silverdawn's eyes was more than enough for her to agree to her
entering the Malfoy house, even if she was muggle-born. Lucius, on the other
hand, was more than pissed.
"You wouldn't dare!" The platinum-haired man roared, not caring if this destroyed his aristocratic image. His gray eyes were ablaze with fury, and it took all his self-control to not strangle his son, his perfect replica that was produced to serve him and the Dark Lord. Meeting similar gray eyes that looked all too stubborn for his own good, both father and son stared daggers at one another until Draco stated grimly, "I love her, father, and I want to marry her."
His sudden statement was another heavy blow to Lucius's already bruised pride. Throughout the years, he had never realized that his son had grown into a young man who would actually dare to talk back at him like this, and this had him lash his fury at the person who was the cause of the entire argument.
"You mudblood bitch!" Lucius snarled, inching forward to the girl dangerously. Draco, fearing that his father might harm Silverdawn, pulled her even tighter in his embrace, shielding the girl from any possible blows whilst his mother looked on helplessly. The princess, not willing for father and son to actually fall out because of her, tried to explain, "Mr. Malfoy, I am not a…" mudblood.
The last word never came out though, for Draco had interrupted her talking abruptly, "I'm doing this with or without your approval, father."
"Then I'll recognize no son." Lucius spat, knowing that this ultimatum will force Draco to come back to him. In any case, Draco still relied on the Malfoy fortune for his education, and everything the boy owned was bought by him. Therefore, should he still insist on having the girl, Draco would be prepared to go knut-less.
The platinum-blond boy stared at his father hard, gray eyes pained and unsmiling. His father was serious, that he knew, but what Lucius had not known was that this time; Draco was prepared to be equally hardhearted. He did not want to lose his only love just because his father – and a worthless father at that – objected to his decision. Tensed silence ensued as Narcissa and Silverdawn gazed at the two men, both too stubborn for their own good.
"So be it." Draco finally stated quietly, his inner-self ignoring the hurt that now marred his mother's face.
"Please, Draco. Can you not reconsider?" Narcissa pleaded, tears starting to gather in her azure eyes. Inside, her mind was screaming for her to allow Draco pursue what was true love – a choice that she was never given – but somehow, her heart wanted her only son to be by her side. Therefore, despite the fact that she knew her question would bring Draco around a guilt trip, she could not help but let the words slip from her mouth.
However, her son never answered the question, thus leaving her to break down into silent tears as Lucius slapped her face, angry that she had shown such weakness in front of the children. This action had Draco clenching his fists tightly as he forced his feelings into a rough semblance of control, not willing to show his father that his mother was actually his weakness. Indeed, if Lucius knew how much he cared for his mother, there is a high likelihood that Lucius will try using her as a mean to threaten him into submission.
Now, only Silverdawn's constant healing energy kept him from cursing the man before him; the one whom he called father, to the lowest levels of hell.
Throwing another icy glare at the young lovers, Lucius growled, "I disown you, Draco. No longer shall you bear the Malfoy name."
Simultaneously, the silver insignia clasp that held Draco's school robes in place shot back into Lucius hand, signaling that what the man had said was real. Suddenly, Draco felt a pang of pain streak through his heart, although at the outside, he still looked to be impassive with Lucius's disownment. Bowing slightly, the Slytherin started in a detached tone, "Good day to you sir, madam."
With a last bow at his mother, Draco immediately pulled Silverdawn by the hand out of the garden, not being able to bear the sight of his utterly crestfallen mother.
::I'm sorry, mama.::
His words, so full of remorse, had fresh tears brimming in Narcissa's eyes as Draco's voice echoed once again in her head.
::I'll always love you.::
Unnoticed by the Malfoys, a pair of scarlet eyes darkened as he saw the two students rush out of the garden, the boy's aura tinged darker than usual. He had to applaud Draco's courage to talk back to his parents in this manner, especially when he loved his mother so much, but at the same time, he was worried that Lucius might bring the matter up to Voldemort.
No wonder his liege had sent him to spy on Lucius. He must have known that such a thing will happen sooner or later.
Dissipating into the inky shadows, Belial sent what he had saw into the mind of his master, allowing Lucifer to ponder on what was to come with Severus while the fallen angel went back to his stations within Voldemort's inner circle, prepare to defend Draco to the end should Voldemort issue an order to have the boy killed.
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It took the couple a relatively shorter time as they ran towards the Quidditch pitch, both deeply immersed in their thoughts. As they neared the already-bustling pitch filled mostly with Gryffindors and Slytherins – the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are still trickling in – Draco ceased his running, slowing down into a stroll as they reached an ancient oak tree that was situated near the pitch, but not too near for anyone to see them.
There, the angels settled between its great roots, which in turn, lowered its branches to provide shelter on sensing the sadness emanating from one of them. With its emerald leaves shielding their forms from view, Draco hugged Silverdawn tightly from the back, arms trembling as they encircled her waist like a drowning man.
Gently taking his strong, callused hands into hers, Silverdawn did nothing else but croon a gentle angelic melody, a song that was subtly fused with magic to soothe the upset angel, allowing Draco to calm down before they talked. Unlike her previous outburst that lasted for almost fifteen minutes, the platinum blonde took but a minute to gather his emotions back in place. Not surprising, Uriel had taught him well.
"Why?" the princess asked when his breaths returned to normal, not understanding the reason that made Draco interrupt her wanting to tell Lucius that she was no muggle-born witch. It was mind-boggling, to say the least, seeing as Lucius would have agreed immediately once he knew who she was, and that wouldn't have had Draco suffering this much.
The Slytherin sighed, placing his head above her crown of black locks as he started quietly, "I wanted him to respect my decision, not just because of the fact that you're a pureblood."
"Oh…"
"Fa… Lucius had restricted my behavior ever since I was young. When I was four, mother made me take up violin classes, and I excelled very well in it. Hell, my tutor even wanted me to enter the Royal Academy for Music in London, seeing how I was only five when I managed to learn practically everything for him. Then, there was this one time when I played for mother before telling her that I wanted to be a professional violinist in the future. Lucius overheard this, and he was furious." The boy's eyes turned a stormy gray as he brought his hands to show Silverdawn, murmuring, "Revelo."
With the disguise charm down, Silverdawn gasped in horror, feeling tears spill from her eyes. His hands were scarred badly, angry lines of varying lengths and intensity criss-crossing both palms and wrists. Dry-eyed, Draco continued inaudibly, "He threw a bottle of brandy at me in rage, and stepped my hands over the shards. I cried, mama did too, but he deliberately pressed my palms with his foot harder, until I fainted."
Draco shuddered as he remembered that particular scene, voice hardening as he continued, "I woke up at St. Mungo's that evening, my hands wrapped in bandages. They said that my hands would be all right, though it might take some time for me to get reacquainted with the violin – I've torn some of the nerves. The healers also said that the scars could be taken away if I wanted them to. But I refused… it was the first time I'd felt any real hate for my father, and I will remember the reason why. After that, when I came home, I found the whole music room destroyed. Lucius had a look of gloating plastered on his face, and I refused to show any anger at him. I didn't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing me cry."
A bitter laugh tore from his throat, "Everything else was like that after the incident. I entered UWIM, got pulled out because he wasn't happy with my high achievements, and was thrown into Hogwarts. I never said anything; just did his will like a faithful son. Overall, I learnt to act stupid, arrogant, and generally, to be a piss. He favored that to my being good."
The glacial look on his face faded a little as he continued, "Still, seeing the Court brought my conscience back. I no longer wanted to be a silly lapdog who'd just listen to his master." The ice in his eyes melted a little as he started, "Furthermore, I've found you. You've given me strength to break away from this family."
"Oh Draco…" Silverdawn turned and hugged him tightly, "But why are you still so sad?"
Her blunt remark made Draco's face crumble. Giving a rueful smile, he answered honestly, "I'm worried about mama. I had been the only reason why she never filed for a divorce. She's the only daughter, and my uncle and grandparents would have loved for her to come back to them. I now worry about what Lucius might do to her once she tries to file for one…"
"I'll help you deal with that. No doubt my father would like to see your mom once more." Silverdawn promised in hopes that the sorrow in him would subside. Knowing that Silverdawn would get the matter settled soon, Draco gave his bonded a grateful kiss.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," the raven-haired princess murmured, "Now, let's get to the match before it starts without you…"
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"Welcome to the most anticipated Quidditch match of the season! Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" Lee Jordan started enthusiastically as Amber slipped into the teachers' wing, with Silverdawn in tow. There, the two girls sat beside the wizened headmaster, smiling politely at the other professors who seemed surprised that two unfamiliar students were seated in their midst. However, on seeing who they actually were – they had their hoods on then – all of them gave friendly greetings, passing the two girls some snacks as the professors started chatting with one another, seemingly fascinated with the upcoming match.
"I believe the Gryffindors will win again this time." Professor Sprout started confidently, smiling at the transfiguration mistress, who was looking albeit tensed. This was quite a surprise, seeing as she had never been this uptight since the last time Slytherin won the Quidditch cup, and the herbology professor couldn't help but be curious as to what had the transfiguration mistress frowning.
Professor Vector, who agreed with his colleague's bet, murmured in accord, "I think so too. What's more, Slytherin just had four students out of the team; it'll be difficult to get reserves at such a last minute. What do you think Minerva?"
The question caught Minerva by surprise, startling the lady out of her thoughts, and both UWIM students knew that the deputy headmistress realize how hard a match it would be later on. Grimly, the professor started, "It'll be a competitive match Ceres, Vector. Mr. Potter just told me that he had changed the team last minute too so as to be able to compete with Mr. Malfoy's team."
"But I thought that the Gryffindor team is already very formidable?" Ceres Sprout asked, puzzled. Hearing this, Salazar grinned, "Ah, but if Draco pulled who I think he pulled into the team, then young Harry will have to change his team, and strategy altogether. If not, he doesn't even have a chance of winning."
"Surely you jest!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, not believing that the Gryffindor team would lose with Harry Potter as Seeker. Severus, however, chuckled – a sound that had many of the professors surprised. Keeping his amusement under wraps, he started in a straight tone, "Filius, Salazar's right, isn't he? Minerva?"
"That's what I'm afraid of. Salazar's right about what he had said." The transfiguration mistress voiced quietly, leaving the other professors to ponder over the subject as she turned over to the two grinning girls, asking, "Who do you think will win?"
Amber and Silverdawn looked at one another, shaking their heads.
"I don't know." Amber replied honestly. The Court seldom play in official Quidditch games, and it would be tough to predict who will emerge victorious. Silverdawn, however, just grinned, reminding her friend, "Draco's playing Seeker as Magician. That ought to give you some idea…"
Hearing her words, Amber, Tracy, Lucifer, Mikael, Severus, Salazar and Dumbledore blanched. The six adults had been UWIM students, and had been Court members of past generations, thus knowing what Draco's title meant. Sympathetically, Dumbledore patted Minerva's shoulder; "Don't take defeat too hard, Minerva."
"But Headmaster," the princess interrupted nonchalantly, "I never said that Draco will downright win."
Dumbledore arched a snowy eyebrow, as did her brothers. Her words had them rather confused… If Slytherin did not win, then why had she pointed out Draco's status as Magician? Their puzzled faces had Silverdawn smiling, though she did give them another hint, "If this had been played UWIM style, Draco will win immediately. However, given the lack of hexes, I doubt Draco will have much fun just flying around, waiting for the snitch to appear. After all, he still does not have the patience Harry possessed. All in all, both have as much a chance of winning."
Her
words made Minerva McGonagall smile a little, but before anyone had the
opportunity to voice their opinions, Lee's voice, now enhanced by the magic
microphone, came blaring throughout the entire Quidditch pitch.
"Good morning ladies and
gentlemen. Welcome to the opening match of this year's Quidditch tournament!"
Lee Jordan's voice, so excited and enthusiastic, had the entire pitch in
screams and chants. Not surprising, the cheers for Gryffindor drowned most of
the Slytherins' voices, but this did not seem to faze Severus Snape in the
least. What bothered him though, was the fact that his child was playing her
first match, and he very much wanted to cheer for her, though at the same time,
he wanted his House to win.
Silverdawn, noticing this, mindspoke reassuringly, ::Don't worry uncle, Hermione'll do well, you had better pray that it wouldn't go UWIM style later. It'll be messy without that added in. Speaking of which…::
The girl trailed off from her speech, turning to her side to whisper something into the Headmaster's ear, which in turn had the wizened mage laughing softly. Rising from his seat, Albus Dumbledore went over to Lee Jordan, smiling slightly as he spoke, "They'll probably require these."
With a wave of his wand, a pair of omnioculars appeared in each of the spectators' hands. Lots of gasps followed this action, most of which turned into hoots of glee at the thoughtfulness of the Headmaster. Lee Jordan too, looked amazed by the ancient wizard's ability to transfigure so many omnioculars at one go, but recovered quickly to announce the entrance of the Gryffindor team, whereas Madam Hooch went into the field, gray orbs eyeing the entrances expectantly.
"There has been a last minute change of team members!" Jordan's eyes widened at the names, announcing excitedly, "Coming into the pitch are chasers Virginia Weasley, Hermione Granger and Takizawa Hideaki!"
With that, Ginny, Hermione and Hideaki entered into the pitch, each doing a three hundred and sixty degrees loop in midair before flying a lap round the raucous spectator stands. With the crowds cheering the two female chasers and Aki – by his court name – on, the trio split into three different routes, all of whom had sparks of all colors trailing their brooms until they arrived in front of the Professor wing, giving theatrical bows before performing a series of loops and jumps that had the crowd even wilder than before.
Even the professors were clapping heartily, all of whom were astonished that Hermione Granger was playing – it was a known fact that Hermione did not like flying, given her previous performance in broom-flying – and all of them were looking forward to seeing the intelligent girl play. In fact, only Silverdawn and Amber remained impassive, for the two girls knew that this was just the opening.
As expected, it was indeed the beginning of a series of surprises, and Jordan continued over loud cheers, "Next, we have beaters, Tristan Aquavoce and Azrael Kadamon!"
"Emperor!"
"Justice!"
All sorts of screams – and names that not many Hogwarts students understood – sounded from all four Houses, particularly from the UWIM students as both boys entered into the field, flying from opposite directions to loop the field before jumping from their brooms gracefully to land on the other's broom… right in front of Lee Jordan and the two girls. The stunt done, Azrael snapped his fingers twice, bringing a rain of small stars and sweets falling from the heavens with its wake. This brought about squeals of delight from everyone, especially the younger students as everyone caught some of what was showered upon them.
Between Dumbledore and Mikael, the remaining two members of the Court just smiled, both of whom were inwardly glad that the prince did not try anything more drastic.
The last time they'd played, Azrael had decided that a supernova was in order, and had pulled the most… er, spectacular stunt ever in UWIM history – he had the entire Quidditch pitch in darkness, and brought a series of comets out from their orbits before causing them to blow up above them. The result had been a piece of frighteningly beautiful scenery, with the exploding stars bringing about a chain of bright light that illuminated the dark sky, mesmerizing everyone present that day. It had been an extremely dangerous thing to do, and it had brought him a scolding from their brothers and Sandalphon, the guardian of space.
"And now, we have keeper Ronald Weasley!"
The cheering never ceased as Ron entered into the field, grinning bashfully as he waved towards the crowds. There was no special performance, but his appearance was enough to let the people scream his name. After all, his previous performances – other than his first few matches – had deemed him a very competent keeper. Moving over towards his sister and friends, the red-haired boy wondered aloud, "Hmm… what do you think Harry will do?"
The others shrugged, for none of them knew what Harry had in store for the students.
"I don't know, Ron. A shower of galleons perhaps?" Aki quipped light-heartedly whilst the others guffawed. However, before anyone could make another comment, Jordan's voice sounded overhead once more, much to the anticipation of the crowd.
"Finally, we have Gryffindors seeker and captain, Harry Potter!"
The cheers that reverberated the entire pitch had Silverdawn and Amber rather surprised. They knew that Harry was well liked in school, but they never expected that he would be this popular. As the black-haired Gryffindor entered the pitch, performing the Wronski Feint with impeccable ease, the roars of approval and constant chanting of Harry's name had the two girls pretty impressed. Then, as he rose to the where his team was, a wave of his hand had a harmonious melody floating in the winds, one that was sung by the first choir of angels. Everyone went enthralled by the short piece of music, and by the end of it, all of them were feeling very much relaxed despite the adrenaline pumping within them.
Silverdawn had been the first to shake out of the music, having been somewhat immune to the music, and gently, she poked the entranced Jordan out of his reverie. Pointing to the mic, she silently urged the shocked commentator to continue on with the show. Thankfully, it was a command that the boy complied immediately while the black-haired seer glanced over at the captain.
::You shouldn't have brought their voices into this world, Harry.:: Silverdawn rebuked gently as Harry gave an apologetic look from where he was.
::I'm sorry. But their voices are so beautiful, I thought that the students might like it…:: His voice was sheepish, but held an air of honesty that made Silverdawn forgive him immediately.
::There's a reason why not many are permitted to hear their praises, Harry. Their voices can be as lethal as Sirens if need be.::
::I'm really sorry…::
::Ah, Nevermind.::
With that, Silverdawn returned her gaze back to Jordan, who had just regained his senses, "Next, we have the Slytherin team! Coming in are beaters Tang Si Muo and Yamikami Ashteroth, both also from UWIM!"
Being the more sensible of the entire group, both Si Muo and Ash just did the customary flying over the crowds once before saluting towards the professors and princess. Although both of them were from Slytherin, the cheers came from all four Houses, and this was brought about by the cheering led by the UWIM students, all of whom held much respect for the fallen angel – Ash – and one of the most powerful student wizards within UWIM aside from the Court – Si Muo, Tang.
Flying to station opposite the Gryffindors, Ashteroth commented with good humor, "You should have brought the voices of the fallen angels along. Theirs are even more bewitching than the seraphim, cherubim and dominions all put together."
"Really?" Harry arched an eyebrow, amazed that there were voices surpassing the first order angels. Ashteroth nodded his head, as did Azrael, though the latter warned, "Don't try it, Harry, unless you wish to get a blasting from Silver and my father. It's banned."
"Why?" Ginny asked, confused.
"That's because the voices of fallen angels can – if need be – lure a person into the worst kind of death." Ashteroth replied seriously, only to be interrupted by Azrael, "Still, it can be heard if no intentional magic was put in it." Eyeing Ash, the prince continued, "After all, you have to agree that your dad has the most beautiful voice in the entire universe."
"His dad?" Ron echoed, thoroughly confused.
"Belial." Aki helped in, knowing that the Hogwarts' students knew very little of Ashteroth's background.
"That's interesting, I'd like to hear him sing sometime, can I, Ash?" Hermione piped in, eyes lighting up in delight. Her keenness had the fallen angel slightly uncomfortable, and Si Muo interrupted the conversation smoothly, pointing out, "You'll have to ask Belial yourself, Hermione. Also, Blaise, Kristopher and Temperance are coming over."
His words were true, for once he had spoken, cheering for the Healer, Blaise and Kristopher Avery sounded from all four wings. As startling as it seems, Blaise and Kristopher Avery were rather popular amongst the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, and this was perhaps due to how both of them seldom see look down on the students like how most Slytherins do.
Flying over to the group, Nikolai received a loving peck from her boyfriend whilst Blaise asked curiously, "What have we missed?"
"Oh, just seeing Ash getting embarrassed for once." Tristan replied in an exaggerated manner, earning a white glare from said boy whilst Aki rolled his eyes.
Trust Tristan to speak of such things just before a match. It was miracle that Ash hadn't hexed him yet…
From the professorial wing, Lee's voice sounded once more, "Up next, Lawrence Snape as keeper!"
Like Ron, Lawrence opted for a simpler fanfare, by the usual circling of the entire stand before stationing himself by his mates, though not before sending a flying kiss over to Amber, who looked amused by the amount of girls swooning at the boy's devilishly handsome features, all of whom were thinking that he had been looking at them. Waving over at Ron, he mouthed a 'good luck' before going back to his post at the rings on the Slytherin side, saluting the professors, or in particular, his uncles, in a cheeky manner.
"Lastly, we have Slytherin's seeker and captain, Draco Malfoy!"
Riotous cheers broke out from the Slytherin stand, and the UWIM students who heard the name cheered heartily for the M.I.A. Court member. Draco flew out into the pitch, doing a series of flips before turning over to the crowds, much to the astonishment of the students – most of them have only seen Draco performing in a mediocre manner in the previous Quidditch match, and this was a far cry from his average skills previously. Once at the center of the field, the blonde swung over to balance on his Firebolt II, which earned many shocked gasps from both the students and professors. Only the UWIM students seemed immune to it, and the silver-gold haired boy gave a courtly bow before clapping his hands three times.
His action brought about all sorts of confetti showering around the pitch, whilst the UWIM and Slytherin girls all spotted cuddly soft toys, each made in their own preference. Wild screams could be heard from the people as this little piece of magic was performed, and Silverdawn smiled at Amber, hugging the huge snow-white teddy bear that held a bouquet of roses – a gift from Draco.
"Magician!"
"Draco!"
The riotous squeals had Draco grinning as he gave another bow.
"Show off." Ashteroth muttered, rolling his eyes.
"As usual…" Lawrence replied in amusement, happy to see his friend reverting back to his friendly-to-all form. Back safely on his broom, the Slytherin seeker went over to take his position opposite Harry, who was grinning at his show of magic.
"Great job over there. I want a stuffed stag." Harry joked, emerald-eyes lighting up with laughter. Draco, who was exhilarated by this regaining of skills, returned his tease with equal playfulness, "Perhaps you can borrow a skirt from Mione and dress up as a girl. Then, I'll consider giving you one."
The mental picture of Harry in a skirt had the entire group bursting into peals of laughter, and the boy-who-lived just laughed along with the others, being equally horrified and amused by the ridiculous idea. Their hilarity ceased when all of them flew down to hover near the ground – Madam Hooch were beckoning them for the usual prep talk.
"I want a clean and fair match, especially from you Mr. Malfoy. If, after all the improvements that you've done to your behavior and you still foul in this game, the other professors and I will be sorely disappointed." Madam Hooch announced pointedly, her hawk-like stare fixed upon the platinum blonde.
"Aye, aye, Madam Hooch." Draco laughed, continuing good-naturedly, "I can promise a fair game, but for it to be clean… what do you say, guys?"
His last sentence was directed to both groups, and Ashteroth shook his head, "It'll not be possible, Madame."
The fallen angel sounded apologetic, but his eyes betrayed him – it held humor in them. Kristopher Avery, who was beside the boy, chuckled in anticipation, "With more than half of the players from UWIM, I'll be surprised if the match is what I usually witness."
"Read about our style then?" Tristan laughed amiably towards the seventh-year Slytherin. Kristopher, who was surprised by the friendliness shown from a Gryffindor, gave a smile of his own, "Yes. I've been hoping to enter there after my graduation."
"Then good luck." Tristan grinned, his words spoken in Ancient Egyptian. The language did not faze Kristopher, and the russet-haired boy replied in Japanese, "Domo."
Glad that for once, the competing Houses – Gryffindor and Slytherin no less- were on civil terms, Madam Hooch gave a wide smile, announcing, "Let the game begin!"
With that, she kicked the trunk of Quidditch balls hard, thus allowing the bludgers to start their course of vengeance whilst at the same time, threw the quaffle up into the air. The signal given, all six chasers swooped down for the quaffle, leaving the beaters to their work.
"And off the players go… Holy Merlin!" Lee Jordan gasped as he heard the sound of the bell that signaled that someone had scored. Flabbergasted by their speed, the boy started in a tone of disbelief, "Gryffindor scores, 10 – 0."
All around the pitch, students were struck dumb by the swiftness of both teams' players. No one was able to see the game properly, for the speed in which all the players moved by were shockingly swift. Indeed, no one even saw the fact that Lawrence had actually blocked three shots before the first goal went in – Hermione managed to spot a loophole in her cousin's defense and took the opportunity to throw the quaffle in the last hoop. Meanwhile, the bludgers were all over the arena, hovering perilously close to the players. As a result, the players had their focuses separated on both the looming bludgers as well as the quaffle, for under Azrael, Ashteroth, Tristan and Si Muo's hands, the bludgers were more than just dangerous, they were downright deadly.
All of the spectators – including the professors – were turning their omnioculars to slow motion, not being able to catch the players' actions due to the jarring speed. What they did see when tuned to slow motion had them stunned beyond belief.
"They are definitely not human." Lavender muttered to herself as she watched the replay of Nikolai dodging one heavy bludger before revving past Aki and Hermione. The Healer then dropped low, performing two 360-degree turns to dodge the other bludger and passed the quaffle over to Blaise, who was open. Blaise then bypassed Si Muo before aiming for the hoops…
"Agreed. They're insane." Dean Thomas confirmed as Ron blocked the incoming quaffle. However, as he threw the quaffle over to Ginny, Kristopher intercepted the ball, and threw in at one of the hoops hard, narrowly missing Ron's head.
The bell rang again.
"Slytherin scores! 10 – 10!" Lee Jordan hurriedly announced after realizing that he had not been commentating the players' movements. No that he could… In fact, he too, was watching the match in slow motion, and this had him unable to catch up with the actual game. At the professorial wing, Silverdawn and Amber grinned, obviously enjoying the chaotic game. Amongst them, only the duo, Lucifer, Tracy, Mikael, Severus, Salazar and Dumbledore were able to not use the omnioculars provided and still see the game as it is. Thus, pitying the poor boy, Amber pulled her friend towards Lee Jordan, and asked, "Hey Lee, how about I take over the commentating for you? You seem albeit out-of-sorts."
"Thank you." The Gryffindor thanked gratefully as he passed the magical microphone towards the brunette. He had been bowled over by the swift progress of the game, and wanted no more than to just sit down and enjoy the game. For the first time since first year, he had no wish to commentate a Quidditch game – this game was progressing in too quick a pace for him to even try deciphering their moves. Giving her companion a grin, Amber took the microphone and started whilst Silverdawn just shook her head in amusement – Amber loved to spice up the commentating of Quidditch matches although she had never taken up the job in UWIM. In UWIM, she'd just add some tart remarks here and there when the commentator stated the players' moves, but that was enough to make the others bowl over in laughter.
"And it's Hideaki Takizawa with the quaffle heading towards the… oops, he dropped it. Baka Aki, what the hell are you doing?" Her voice, magically enhanced, had Hideaki breaking out in cold sweat. Beside him, Si Muo gave a wry laugh, "Amber's finally tried her hand at actual commentating?"
"Shit, we're dead." Azrael, who had flown past, cursed under his breath. A bludger streaked past them, and he hit the black cannonball through an easy backhand. It seemed as if he had put little strength behind his strike, but the bludger flew past several players before hitting through one of the pillars as it came out from the other end and end up soaring in the sky, blinking out of their sight.
Clearly, the prince was not happy that Amber had taken over.
Ash, who'd seen the thunderous expression on the prince's face, shook his head. He then magicked out a new bludger to replace the lost one, and silently prayed that Amber would not do anything too dire this time round.
"Hermione Granger's with the quaffle, zigzagging across the field… Wonderful way of evading Ash's bludger there Mya, next time, try hitting the bludger back at him with your wand." Amber rambled off as Ashteroth gave the brunette a glare. He should not have prayed for her earlier on.
Silverdawn, who saw this, gave an inward laugh. Clearly, the Court isn't happy that the High Priestess took over Lee's job. Amber, who seemed oblivious to this, continued, "A clean pass to Virginia Weasley, she's evaded Blaise Zambini's try to get the quaffle, now reaching the hoops, passes to Hideaki, who's taking a shot at the hoops… Argh! What that hell are you doing today Aki? You should've known that Law would block there!"
"Shut up, Amber!" The blond Gahedriel shouted from across the pitch, muttering about insanity among the Elios women. Said girl remained unfazed despite Aki's words, Silverdawn's admonishing stares and Professor McGonagall's threats, "Nikolai Romanov's tackled Ginny's pass to Hermione, speeding over towards the hoops, Blaise's aiding her, blocking the others… oof! She's hit by a bludger… that had got to hurt. Azrael, I thought you had better manners than to hit a lady like that!"
Azrael, who had indeed been the one who'd thrown the bludger's course at Blaise scowled as he flew to where Tristan was. The latter had just aimed a bludger at Nikolai, and Azrael muttered, "That woman's driving me mad. This is supposed to be a game. Not some bloody court occasion that I had have to be a perfect gentleman."
"That's another goal! Slytherin scores 20 – 10! Wait! Hermione's in possession of the quaffle, passes to Ginny, Ginny's eludes one, no… two bludgers, swerves pass Kristopher, she aims… Woah! A great fake aim there!" Amber whistled, continuing, "Aki, you ought to learn from your girl!"
Ginny, who heard this, almost dropped the quaffle from her grip. Lawrence shook his head at his girlfriend's blunt manner, and it was at this second that Ginny threw the quaffle into one of the unguarded hoops.
"Gryffindor scores 20 –20! Law, how would you have let that quaffle in!?! Your skills should've been better than that! Oh my gosh, Kristopher's with the quaffle, dodges Hermione's tackle, heads for the hoops, he's aiming, throws… Brilliant fake pass to Blaise, she throws the quaffle, Slytherin scores 30 – 20! Ron, it's alright, blame the beaters for not doing their job."
"Hey!" Azrael and Tristan protested, though it was quickly interrupted by Amber's booming voice, "The quaffle's in Hermione's possession, direct passes to Ginny, Ginny tosses it to Aki, he takes a 90 degrees dive to escape both Nikolai and Kris, heads for the hoops, aims… that's a goal to Gryffindor! Finally, you've managed to get your skills back Aki."
"I can learn to kill her…" Hideaki gritted between his teeth, and the others had to agree. Amber truly was a pain in the neck when concerning Quidditch commentating, and the way she criticized the players' skills could make even the mildest of the mild become angered…
"A disappointing attempt to throw Ginny out of her broom. Si Muo, put some strength into your attack! Ginny's still in possession of the quaffle, Blaise hot behind her heels, tackles the girl, ooh! Blaise's gotten the quaffle, a quick pass to Nikolai, argh! Hermione's blocked the pass, throwing the quaffle to Aki, he's zooming past all four beaters, aims… Another goal for Gryffindor! Gryffindor leads 40 – 30!" Amber announced enthusiastically as Silverdawn sighed, shaking her head.
"Nikolai's in possession with the quaffle, she dives down to avoid one bludger, bypassed Tristan, heading for the hoops… Eek! Watch out Niko! Oh, thank god, Ash flies in front of Nikolai, hits the incoming bludger at Hermione – Azrael, how could you aim the bludger at your own girlfriend? And Ash, how could you hit that at Mya?"
"Gods, I swear, she's driving me insane." Ashteroth muttered darkly, and Azrael, who was nearby, growled, "She's going to see hell."
With that, Azrael flew to where one bludger was, and hit it hard in the direction of the brunette. Amber, who had been busy commentating the game, felt the bludger nearing where she sat. Raising her palm at the ball's direction, she muttered, "Rictemus."
The bludger slowed its speed, and when it was but a few inches in front of Amber, the girl gazed at it hard, and the bludger burst into thousands of sparkles. The danger now resolved, the brunette continued with her job, much to Silverdawn's amusement, "Ooh! Slytherin scores, courtesy of Blaise! Really Ron, you ought to buck up too. And Tris, put some gusto when hitting the bludger."
Her rebuke, milder than the previous few she had directed at her fellow Court members, made Ron blush, and the other UWIM players rolled their eyes. Trust Amber to be biased toward their Hogwarts friends. Tristan, on the other hand, muttered a string of vulgarities at Amber's brusque remark whilst Ashteroth magicked out yet another bludger. Turning over to Azrael, he said, "Emperor, don't take her words too hard. She's not herself when it comes to Quidditch commentating…"
"Ash! Stop talking and hit that damned bludger!" Amber's voice, now irritated, blared through the entire pitch. The fallen angel scowled at his fellow Court's member's words, and he muttered, "Okay, I take back my words. She's incorrigible."
The game continued at this rate for almost half an hour, and the tart remarks had virtually all of the players gritting their teeth in irritation. The only ones that were not attacked by Amber – through words – were the two seekers, and it took virtually the same amount of time before Amber, as well as the entire school, to realize that both seekers were floating high above the chaotic mess that were called a game, and were…
"Harold James Potter! Draconis Rodrique Malfoy! This is supposed to be a game, not a social event! What the hell are you guys talking about?" Amber screeched on realizing that both seekers were actually having quite a friendly chat about god knows what. The two angels had been talking about what had happened to Draco earlier on whilst half listening to Amber's colorful comments. As to why the conversation had turned to that direction had been due to Harry having felt the slight unhappiness in his friend, and had subtly made the blond angel spill out what had happened.
Hearing their names, the duo turned over to wave at the squealing girl as the students gaped at the two seekers in something akin to shock. Not surprising, despite having witnessed the change in Draco, they still weren't able to believe that Draco Malfoy had actually turned good. Thus, seeing the Slytherin talk to Harry Potter, golden boy of Gryffindor, had turned them into statues.
Not having seen what was going on with the game, Harry gave a glance at the game below and whistled, "Woah, I never knew that Quidditch could be played at such a quick pace. It's kind of chaotic… And Draco, don't worry about Lucius. It's better that you're out of his clutches."
"It is better to be out of his control Harry," Draco gave a strained smile, continuing, "but I worry for my mother…"
Shaking out of his thoughts, he ignored the emerald-eyed boy's look of concern and started, "By the way Harry, this isn't messy enough. In UWIM, it goes even worse."
Harry, sensing his companion's wish to change the subject, asked in genuine curiosity, "Why's that?"
"We use hexes and spells in our matches. So, instead of solely concentrate on bludgers, we have to watch out for stray spells." The blonde explained as he dodged a bludger, grimacing at the fact that all four beaters were starting to aim for them too. It seemed as if all of them weren't happy that both seekers weren't participating in the game below, and were starting to force them over.
When it became a fact that they had no choice but to enter into the frenzied game, Harry grinned slyly, "Hey Magician, wanna play it UWIM style?"
An arched eyebrow was the answer to the boy's question. Returning an equally sly grin, Draco purred sweetly, "Of course. Rictusempra."
The hex, delivered in such a sweet tone, caught Harry off-guard. Nonetheless, with Alexial and Lucifer's training ingrained in his mind, the Gryffindor evaded the attack easily, and whilst diving after Draco, he uttered another, "Dagliso Entroplis."
Zigzagging around the chasers, Draco grinned slightly at the amount of daggers coming after him. However, due to the fact that he was around the others, they too, fell victims under the numerous weapons. Azrael, having seen this coming, shouted, "Everyone, UWIM style, now!"
Blaise, Ginny, Ron and Hermione, all of whom had been given sketchy ideas of UWIM-styled games, grinned at the thought of using spells in a Quidditch match. Soon, the pitch became a full-fledged battlefield, one, where Amber reported excitedly, "Ouch! Ron's hit with a stray Impedimenta jinx, leaving Blaise open for another goal. Slytherin 60 – 80. Keep it up Slyths!"
"I sometimes wonder if she's in the right House." Aki muttered under his breath, and Harry, who had just passed by him, gave a grin. He still had his mind concentrating on where the snitch was, and apparently, Draco too, was doing the same thing whilst flying around the chasers and beaters in an attempt to get away from the spells and hexes. Indeed, that was what Harry was doing too, for the other players seemed to be finding it more fun trying to hex one another off their brooms than aiming for goals.
"Eek! Blaise's hit with a jelly-legs jinx, phew, Niko's just taken it off, and she's hexed Hermione with a full body-bind! Azrael's doing the counter-curse now, the quaffle's passed from Nikolai to Kristopher, Kristopher throws a petrifying curse at Ron, he missed it, but oh! Kris has the quaffle in! Another 10 points to Slytherin!"
By now, the entire arena was filled with flying artillery, and virtually all of the players had sustained injuries of varying degrees. All the players could do whilst dodging the spells was to pray that one of the seekers would catch the snitch and let them to finally rest, now that almost an hour has passed… Thus imagine their relief when both seekers suddenly soared above all of them, having felt the presence of the snitch.
Draco was just an inch ahead of Harry as they rose to where the snitch was, its golden wings gleaming under the bright sun. As they closed towards the fluttering snitch, Harry and Draco stretched their hands out towards the golden snitch, wanting to be the one to grab it. Not wanting the other to win, both seekers continued to pace up their speed, shouting in unison, "Sentinel Manipulus!"
The resultant consequence was disastrous, to say the least.
Now that both were angels, the bright light that shone from the corporeal guardians that shot from both boys' wands caused the other players to shield their eyes, and after the spirits got sucked into the other boy's body, Draco and Harry's eyes glazed over, having felt the worst nightmare of their adversary. The last thought Draco had felt before darkness overtook him was of Harry already falling, but he could not care less, for the snitch was just right in front of him. Feebly, he grabbed for the golden object before letting blissful darkness take over his mind…
"Draco!" Silverdawn gasped as she saw her bonded fall from his broom. Summoning her own broom, she hurriedly zoomed past the stunned players and grabbed for Draco whilst Hermione, having witnessed Harry's eyes glazing over, had already pulled him up when he fell and had descended to the ground.
As she placed the boy on the ground next to Harry, the black-haired princess muttered irritably, "You know Hermione, I'm seriously considering the banning of this spell."
Hermione just giggled at her cousin's words, replying, "You're just pissed. It's a rather handy spell though."
"True." Silverdawn grimaced as she smoothed a stray hair from the unconscious boy's forehead. It was only then did she see the golden snitch still held in Draco's left hand, and inwardly, she smiled affectionately, ::Amber, Draco's got the snitch.::
From the professorial wing, Amber's voice blared through the magical microphone, "And Draco's caught the snitch! Slytherin wins 220 – 80!"
The announcement had the spectators, all of whom had been looking at the two unconscious seekers in worry, snap out from their anxiety. It took several seconds for the news to sink in, but by the time it did, the Slytherin wing was abound with cheers whilst the Gryffindors grumbled about how close a fight it had been…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Riddle Manor
"You called, Master?" Severus asked in a calm tone after bowing towards his supposed liege.
It was nighttime, and the Slytherin house was particularly rowdy as there was a party held in celebration of their sweet victory against Gryffindor. As was his duty, Severus had been in the common room under an invisibility charm, acting as chaperone for the night. Not surprising, Slytherin parties could be wild, and with the invitation of the other Court members, as well as Harry – who like Draco had been revived earlier in the evening, Hermione, Ron and Ginny in disguise, the celebration was in full swing with music blaring from one of Lawrence's magical CD player, as well as discotheque lights throwing spectrums of colored lights all around the common room.
Both he and Salazar had been sipping brandy that had been smuggled from Hogsmeade, and it was almost midnight when his mark burned – Voldemort had called upon him once more.
"Severus," The serpentine man acknowledged the potions master with a nod. Behind the dark lord, Belial gave his friend a small smile. This, Severus returned with a rare smile of his own, though his calm mask returned back in place when he saw Lucius's black face at the side of the room.
"Severus," Voldemort started once more, "Lucius has just reported a shocking piece of news." Here, the dark lord gave Lucius a disapproving tut, "it seems that Lucius has been rather incompetent in bringing up a child. Young Draco has denied his heritage to be with a mudblood."
"He did?" Severus, not having heard of this, asked in mild surprise. Lucius, who had been sullen earlier on, growled, "Yes, he did. I disowned that brat when he said he wanted to be with that slut!"
"Lucius," The dark lord started dangerously, "I have not asked of your opinions. Crucio. Anyway, Severus, what do you think of that girl whom Draco is smitten over."
"Langford?" The dark-haired man feigned surprise before sneering at Lucius, "That girl is in Slytherin, Lucius. And by the by, she's even smarter than Blaise Zambini, or Hermione Granger for that matter. Besides, she has muggle royalty as her backing, and that makes her rather powerful."
The mention of muggle royalty had Voldemort's interest immediately. The Wizarding world respected the muggle royalty almost as much as the royalty in the Magical world, and to have that sort of backing behind him would be of a certain advantage. Sensing where the dark lord's thoughts were going, Belial commented lightly, "It's a shame Lucius has disowned young Draco, isn't it Godfather? With the girl's backing, you will have even more power."
"True, true." Voldemort replied absently. Severus, who caught on with Belial's subtle influence of the dark lord's words, started quietly, "With your blessings my lord, I would like to adopt Draco as my own son. That way, we will still have control over the boy and his lover, as well as have Langford's powerful background to aid you."
Lucius, who had just recovered from the previous curse placed upon him, scowled at Severus's suggestion. However, before he was given a chance to snipe at the potions master, the latter commented silkily, "After all, Draco shows promise of becoming a powerful wizard. I'd like to take him under my wing if Lucius deems himself unfit for the job."
The insult had Lucius's face turn red, and Voldemort chuckled at his potions master's sharp tongue.
"You have my blessings, Severus. Now, I do believe that Belial has some things to discuss with you. All of you are dismissed."
With that, all three men bowed, though Lucius did so albeit unwillingly, and proceeded to walk out of the meeting room. However, before Severus and Belial left, another black-cloaked man entered the room, his ankle-length white hair swaying as he came in, a handful of papers in one hand. Beside him, Severus felt Belial stiffen a little as the man passed by them, and Voldemort's voice sounded from the back, "Ah Leviathan, you're back. What are the trolls decisions?"
"My lord." Leviathan bowed as Severus gently pushed Belial out of the room. Despite his not looking, the white-haired man could feel his bonded presence leaving, and sighed inwardly on remembering Belial's rigid expression when he entered. Apparently, Belial was still upset with his forbidding him to enter into this mission, especially when he himself was already acting as trusted Death Eater of Voldemort. Nonetheless, he had thought it better for Belial to stay with Lucifer and their child while he – Leviathan – act as spy, as per Lucifer's request. Thus, when Belial expressed his wish to infiltrate into Voldemort's ranks as well, Leviathan's vehement 'no' had sparked an all-out war between the two fallen angels, both of whom were famed to be ultra stubborn when it came to doing things they wanted to.
Of course, Leviathan had felt guilty in the end for not allowing Belial to try spying instead of aiding Lucifer in the works of Hell, thus when his husband had finally became 'godson' of Voldemort, he wanted to apologize, but found that Belial was distancing himself from him. Sighing, he gave his report in a detached tone, all the while thinking of a certain, chocolate-haired, scarlet-eyes man.
When will he accept my apology?
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End of Chapter 23
Okay, it's quite messy towards the end of the chapter, but given how tired I am, I'm really sorry, I really cannot do anything about it now… Still, I'll try to improve on it soon, once I have the time. My exams are coming, and I haven't been revising it, so the next chapter will come out quite late… So those of you who'd like to get mail whenever I update, I do recommend joining my yahoo group (;) as I'd send a message once I've updated this story. Next, if you're bored and wish to read other fanfics, there're several wonderful fics listed in my favorites. Also, I've written another story under a different name, it called 'In Defeating Him, I've Met My Fall' under the name 'Ephirel'. It's an idea that popped up in my head quite recently, and I kinda like it myself. Therefore, if you have the time, do check it out :)
Oh! And here's another thing I've noticed, some of you out there are puzzled as to why Ashteroth is the child of Leviathan and Belial. No, he's not adopted, he's actually born from Belial… yep, it's mpreg, but I won't go into the details. To make matters easy, we'll just assume that everything is possible in the magical world, even males giving birth. *lol*
I hope this clears up the query, Dark Angel, and if there are any more questions, do feel free to ask. I'll try my best to answer them -_6.
Yours,
SilverDawn
Aka
shadowgrief