Santeria

We crept through the dusty remains of what used to be someone's home at some point. The fading rays of a summer sunset cast the ruins into shadows that lurked menacingly behind creaking doors. Dusty cobwebs frosted the far corners of vaulted ceilings water-stained by years of neglect. The rumor around town was that no one had lived here in over a hundred years, not since the last owner vanished one night. Some would say that they would sometimes hear screams echoing across the swamps from the ruined house, but most brushed it off as an old wives tale. The head of the department of mysteries said that there may be powerful dark relics stored there, so he assigned me to investigate. However, he also assigned Malfoy, considering his history with dark magic and his impressive track record within the department since he joined. Despite my better judgement, I agreed, even considering our tumultuous past. My relationship with Ron had not worked out as expected and I wasn't getting any younger. I wasn't attracted to Draco per se, no, but there was something mysterious in his silver eyes and confident stature. Shining our wandlight around the dark corners of what once must have been a study of some sort, he stopped at a slightly listing desk covered with crumbling papers and bits of plaster.

"Hey check this out" he said, his voice breaking the slightly eerie silence. He held up a card that was emblazoned with a skull and crossbones against a deep purple background. It looked like a very old sort of tarot card.

"Cool design eh?"

"Keep that away from me, I'm all set on curses" I said, looking around again.

From the sunken remains of an armchair, a glint of metal caught my eye.

"Hey what's that?" I asked, shivering slightly despite it being rather warm out.

"Dunno" he said, picking it up and brushing the dust off the item. It was a book, dark leather bound, with a metal clasp at the front. Perhaps at one point it had had a lock, like a diary, but the loop to attach it seemed to have been torn off. A chill ran down my spine. It reminded me of the diary from my second year at Hogwarts and we all know what came of that.

"Hey let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps" I said, attempting to grab him by the arm and pull him away. "Put that down, I have a bad feeling about it"

"ooooohhh is little miss tough girl scared of a little book?" he jibed, smiling at me teasingly, still not putting it down.

"No" I said defensively "I just think we should let that one be"

"Scaredy cat" he said and none too covertly slipped the book into his bag.

The next day, when I saw him at the office, something was off, very off. He had seemed slightly on edge, his movements more rigid than usual. It only continued to get worse, but every time I asked him if he was alright, he gave a strange smile that didn't reach his eyes and said he was fine.

It was unsettling, like he had forgotten who he was.

It was close to midnight a few days later when I received a panicked floo from Blaize Zabini, who I somehow knew was living with Malfoy.

"You need to get over here ASAP, there's something very wrong with Draco"

"I mean… he has been acting sorta strange the past couple days…" I said, unsure of what exactly was going on.

"It's gotten worse" he said quickly, voice laced with a fear I'd never heard there before. " he was thrashing about in bed knocking shit over so I went in to check on him. Then this weird thing happened where he sorta came to for a sec. He begged me to tie him down so he couldn't do anything whatever that means and then he said you were the only one who could do anything about this. The whatever it is took over again so I didn't get a chance to ask what the fuck is going on. It gave me a hell of a time before I got him strapped down. What is this thing?" In the background, I heard loud thumps punctuated by animalistic growls.

"I… I don't know" I said. "But I' ll be there soon, I guess it's involved me for a reason."

I hung up and took a deep breath. Whatever had been lurking in that damn book must have taken over him. Years ago, I'd read a book about exorcisms and dark spirits. Would that be enough? I got dressed and grabbed a few things that might come in handy; a silver rosary my grandmother gave me, a few candles and a lighter, some chrism, holy oil, that they'd given my parents when I was young, and the box of salt from my kitchen cupboard. Almost as an afterthought, I grabbed the black leather whip that Ginny had jokingly given me for my birthday. Maybe this particular spirit would need to be beat out? I'd heard about that working with spirits in some muggle movie at some point. Shoving everything in a bag, I hurried out the door, turning on the spot to apparate to Malfoy's house.

As I appeared outside the dark green sided Queen Anne style home, a palpable chill permeated the air. I shivered as I walked to the door, wishing I'd brought a sweater or something. I saw Blaize standing on the porch, leaning heavily against the banister and smoking a cigarette. I climbed the steps as he took one last draw and stubbed out the remains.

"He's upstairs" he said, shaking a little. "Whatever it is made all the power go out a while ago. I'm just gonna stay out here if you don't mind. He's freaking me out." As if on cue, an unnatural scream echoed from within the house, followed by the unmistakable sounds of things crashing to the floor and breaking. Blaize cringed and reached for another cigarette. "Actually, I think I might go into town. Get myself a drink. Call me if you need me. Good luck" he said, giving me a sympathetic glance before pulling out his wand and disappearing with a crack.

I entered the darkened house, guided by the lit tip of my wand, feeling like I was in an episode of Scooby-Doo or something. Following the noises, I ascended the slightly creaky staircase from the foyer and approached a door off the hallway to my right. I'd never been in his room before even though I' d been in the house a few times for barbecues and parties and that one time my dishwasher flooded my apartment.

Pushing open the door, I first saw the floor littered with debris and random items. Then the large bed with a solid looking wooden frame. Then the man tied hand and foot to that frame. He looked so unlike himself. His hair, normally so smooth and tame was ruffled and wild, a slight shadow of stubble covered his pointed chin, and he was dressed in only a pair of cutoff shorts. His eyes were blown wide open and flickered around the room erratically as he strained against the ropes holding him. As soon as I stepped across the threshold, he seemed to calm a bit, relaxing back into his blankets.

"You've come finally" he growled, except it wasn't him. His lips were moving and it was his voice, but it was so much deeper than I'd ever heard it and coated in an icy smoothness that somehow froze my heart somewhere in my throat.

"You know who I am, who are you" I choked out, my voice wavering slightly.

"Who I am does not matter" it chuckled, sending a new wave of cold through the room. "What does matter is that you're here. You, darlin' have really caught this young man here's attention".

I looked confused, bewildered by the sudden change of tone. What on earth did it mean by that?

"I'd have to agree with him though" it drawled, scanning me up and down with those icy eyes, " you certainly are a lovely young creature. How about you come over here and let me free so I can… take a closer look. I could give you the time of your short little life you know." It licked its lips and smiled hungrily at me, that same strange smile as before that never reached his eyes.

"I won't make deals with a demon" I said, trying to put as much conviction into my voice as I could.

"A demon? Oh darlin' you wound me!" it said mischievously, "I could be your demon if you wanted me to though" it winked roguishly up at me.

"You'll release him now, and leave us be" I said, louder this time.

"Oh I don't think so" it growled. The light of my wand went out and I took a step back.

"Lumos! LUMOS!" I yelled, panic edging into my voice as my wand stayed dark.

The only light of the room seemed to emanate from his eyes which glowed a bright blue, almost white. Every shadow in the room seemed to move towards it, pulling me in with them. The dark, misty spirals wrapped around my ankles and waist and started moving me across the floor. Screaming in panic, I pulled the rosary from my bag and held it up. The shadows immediately released their hold on me, but continued to spiral around me like smoke. Rummaging in my bag, I grabbed the lighter and a candle, holding the rosary between my teeth. I lit the lighter and held the flame to the wick, placing the pillar on the desk. Whatever it was screeched savagely at the light. I lit the rest of the candles and placed them where I could, filling the room with a soft golden glow that highlighted his pale hair which lay splayed on his pillow like a halo. I placed the rosary around my neck and pulled off my shoes.

Emptying the contents of my bag onto the bedside table, I took a look at what I'd brought. Taking the salt, I poured a solid line across the doorway and along the windowsills. If I could get the spirit out of him, I didn't want it running around looking for another victim out there in the world. Next, I grabbed the small vial of oil. Maybe a blessing would help?

It began to flail against the ropes again as I struggled to open the stopper. Zabini must have had some exceptionally strong rope around for some reason. I didn't have time to think about why though. The longer this thing held on to him, the harder it would be to get him back. Finally the cork came loose. Dipping a finger into the incense scented oil I reached over his prone form with trembling hands. It turned even more violently, thrashing his head from side to side and snarling at me. No matter how I tried, I couldn't reach his forehead. The ropes creaked, threatening to snap at any moment. Knowing had to still him somehow, I saw no other way. It wanted me, so it would be me it would get. I'd pictured myself and him together before, but never under such circumstances. I just couldn't let myself get carried away and forget what I had to do.

I climbed onto the bed beside him and placed one of my knees to either side of his waist to straddle him. The effect was instant. It calmed totally, stilling and staring up at me hungrily. Exhibitionistically, I removed the rosary and dropped it to the floor.

"I thought you wouldn't make deals with a demon" it said, a little too calmly for my liking.

"I'm not dealing" I said, drawing on every dominant, confident gryffindor fibre in my body and hoping that it bought my little show. " I'm taking what I want" I emphasized my statement with a quick roll of my hips against him.

"That's my girl" it groaned, arching upwards to find more contact against me.

As much as I' d like to pretend I was doing it purely to get an upper hand against it, I couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of him under me. My head spun slightly with the power I held over him and how much I really did want him, the real him.

Leaning down over his face, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced him to look at me.

"Whatever you are, I'm getting him back, but until then, you'll do everything that I say. I wouldn't want to give up an opportunity to have him bare and willing, ready for me" I growled

"Oh bite me, do your worst" it smirked back, drawing his lower lip between his teeth. "I'm merely a pure manifestation of his own inner desires, so I can guarantee he won't mind."

Mind in overdrive, I briefly thought about what that meant. Were his desires to possess me? Or what? What was clear was that the one thing that would distract it was my body. Of all the demons to possess him, just my luck it was one who wanted to sleep with me.

Pulling sharply on his hair again, I brought my face even closer to his, my lips millimeters from his.

"Oh shut up" I spat with as much venom as I could before crashing my lips onto his.

Our lips fought roughly, nipping at each other and tangling in a clash of tongue and breath. Ultimately, he yielded, allowing me full control of the steady rhythms. A noise not unlike a satisfies purr rumbled from his chest. How many times had I imagined his taste? and how did none of those imaginings even come close to the intoxication I then felt?

I pressed heated kisses along the chilled skin of his jaw and down his neck, sinking my teeth into the muscle and was rewarded with a strangled moan. In its distraction, it didn't notice me gather the bottle of oil. As slyly as I could, I tipped the vial upside down, pouring the golden liquid onto his chest. He started a bit, but it was far from the burning and screaming I expected. Rolling with it, I slid both hands down and began to rub it into his skin. I coated his chest and stomach with the oil, running my fingers across his broad shoulders, all the while my lips never leaving his. Suddenly, a thought came to me. If this demon existed solely by and for pleasure, perhaps the way to release him was through the opposite. Through pain.

Pressing one last chaste kiss to his lips, I stood. He really was beautiful. His lips were slightly open, bruised and puffy from my kisses. There were several spots down his neck that were beginning to bloom red and purple. His chest rose and fell quickly, glistening in the candlelight. I couldn't look away until I met his gaze again, that cold, hungry stare. I took a shaky breath to clear my head.

"Gonna let me free now beautiful?" he said " I can tell you want to. You're all flushed. My offer still stands."

I picked up the whip I'd thankfully brought, fingering the smooth leather flails.

"I still have a few things I' d like to try" I purred, trailing the flails over his torso. His eyes flickered up at me slightly in what might have been fear, before settling back into a confident smirk.

I brought the whip down across his front with a snap. His muscles tensed slightly and his jaw set, but no noise came from him.

Smack. Smack. Smack.

I continued the motion, torrenting his torso with sharp strikes. As the skin began to turn pink, he began to release first small hisses of pain, then gasps, then moans of pleasure. I hit harder and harder, but it only made him louder. His eyes were slightly glazed over and he smiled almost cartoonishly as I beat him. His chest turned a vivid magenta, then red. Soon deep purple bruised stripes covered his front. The smile never left his face.

This wasn't going to work, I'd never really seen him as the sort of guy to be such a masochist, but the very obvious bulge in the front of his shorts and enraptured expression on his face seemed to prove me wrong. Putting the whip down, I looked around the room quickly to try to find something else I could use. He seemed sated enough to not cause me too much trouble, at least for a little bit. Shuffling through some of the laundry that had fallen off his desk, my hand hit the sharp corner of a book binding. Holding it up to the light, I saw it was the book we had found days before, bound in a dark red leather that had begun to crack slightly. The pages were yellowed and brittle.

Scanning through it, I learned it had belonged to a muggle man who had been cursed by the grandmother of a girl he had loved who had not approved of his non-magical blood, the very same man who had used to own the old ruined home we had found it in. Eventually he had figured out how to trap the curse in his journal. He had studied it, finally learning how to defeat it before the journal entries stopped and were replaced by an indistinguishable scribble interspersed with a name over and over. I recognized it as the name of the girl mentioned before whom he had attempted to court before the curse. Then the handwriting changed again, more of the unknown language, but this time in what looked like modern ballpoint pen and it was my name that showed itself repeatedly.

Flipping back to the pages that detailed the man's research, I searched for where he described how to get rid of this damn thing once and for all. It had started to come back out of its haze, groaning and moving against the bonds. I read through his descriptions, skimming the bits about how it had shown him the deepest, darkest fantasies of his desire, and found a section labelled "how to expel". Reading aloud to myself quietly, I read…

This demon is truly a moste evil being. It brings out that deepest, most animalistic, primitive side of oneself that desires only the carnal flesh of young women. Any woman will sate its desire, but only The One, only that one object of the victim's deepest desire will destroy it. I have been unable to woo my love, and therefore cannot bring myself to partake in her body in the way which would forever end this suffering and so I will likely soon be consumed by it. I just hope and pray to the Lord God that whomever this demon next takes, they are able to couple with their love and consummate their relationship in the manner that this thing desires.

"Consummate" I said, louder

"Yes please" it moaned from the bed behind me.

So it… he… really did want to sleep with me. I stood slightly dumbfounded by this revelation, staring at his prone form completely vulnerable to me. Was it ok to cave to my own desire, to know him like that, when it wasn't really him inside? He was in there somewhere, I reasoned. My body had already responded to the prospect, a heat licking across my skin despite the chill. I wanted it so much, but was it right? Or was just the workings of the demon in front of me?

Closing the journal carefully and putting it back on the desk, I strolled along the side of the bed, trailing a single fingertip up one leg, skirting a hip, up the center of his chest to lift his chin.

"So you want to fuck me?" I asked lightly.

"Yes" it rasped, eyes wide with need

"And he wants to fuck me?"

"Yes and more than you'll ever know"

"So you both… want me to touch you… here" I asked, reaching down with my other hand experimentally to lightly graze his hard cock through the thick terrycloth.

It was as if I'd given him a powerful electric shock. He pulled against the ropes, growling and showing his teeth. With a final violent tug, the rope snapped, freeing his wrists. Before I could do anything, he sat up and grabbed me around the waist. Pulling me on top of him, I heard the ropes on his ankles break as well. Between fevered kisses, he growled.

"We would like very, very much for you to do that. And not stop this time"

For some reason, it didn't scare me anymore. It was a part of him in whatever twisted way. It wouldn't hurt me. I responded to his kisses with a renewed fervor, knotting my fingers in his hair as his hands ran down my body. They grabbed roughly at my ass, fingertips sinking into the soft flesh in a way that I knew would leave bruises for me to remember the night by. His kisses slid downward before the collar of my shirt impeded their progress. Frustrated, he grabbed at the buttoned front of the blouse and pulled, tearing the fabric and sending a cascade of pearly buttons across the bed. Pushing the ruined shirt off my shoulders, he had enough patience to unlatch my bra properly before flinging them both to some unknown corner of the room, not to be found for a good long time.

Taking one of my breasts in his palm, he nuzzled the other with his slightly chapped lips before sucking the stiffened bud into his warm mouth. His tongue curled around my nipple drawing a low, unbidden moan from my chest which only got louder as his teeth bit down not so lightly. My fingernails sank into his shoulders where I had braced myself on them, leaving angry red crescent marks across his pale skin. With a growl, he turned me over to lie under him. My shriek of surprise was muffled as his lips smothered mine once again. One large hand ran up along the outside of my leg, hitching my skirt to my waist and leaving my skin in goosebumps. Arousal pooled heavily between my legs as he gripped at my hips possessively. With a rip, my sensible cotton underwear, completely soaked by this point, were gone. Sitting back, he stared at my bare form, the corner of his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

If what the journal and he had said were true, there'd be plenty of time later to take things slow, but right then, he needed to be inside me. He peeled off his shorts and dropped them off the side of the bed and settled himself over me, his weight supported on his hands to either side of my body. I blushed slightly at seeing him completely naked, but couldn't tear my eyes away from his hard length. With a surprising tenderness, he cupped my face in one hand, forcing my gaze to meet his. It seemed less icy now, a little more like his old self.

"You have to want this too you know" he said softly

"yes.. " I gasped, wrapping my legs around his hips and pulling him down onto me. "Please fuck me. Now."

He moaned at my words and quickly positioned himself at my entrance and filled me in me in one smooth stroke. Stars exploded across my vision at the sudden stimulation. He began slowly, clearly in a restrained attempt at gentleness. I met every movement of his hips, every thrust, rolling against him and clawing at his back. With this his resolve broke quickly, pounding my smaller frame into the mattress, legs out at wild angles, clinging to him for dear life. I could tell he was close by how his cock became even harder within me, bottoming out with every stroke, pushing me to my own completion. My cunt clenched around him, the wave of orgasm washing over me and releasing with a strangled scream. Seconds later, he came with an inhuman noise. With a sudden blast of icy air, all the candles in the room were extinguished. His eyes rolled back in their sockets and he collapsed on top of me, almost crushing me with his weight. The book on the desk snapped open, pages fluttering before bursting into flames. Yelping, I pushed him off me and grabbed my wand in an attempt to extinguish it, but by the time I got to it, the flames had vanished. The entire journal was blank. I thumbed through the pages, but none of the demonic script or the previous entries were there. With a hum, the lights in the house came back on. It was gone.

A groan emanated from the bed. I hurried over to his side as he rolled over. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, as if he had just woken up from a slightly too long nap, and looked around confused.

"Whatsappinin" he slurred, "Why do I feel like I've been run over by a hippogriff? What's with all these bruises? Why am I naked? Why are you naked?"

"It's a long story darlin'" I said, smiling, pushing a sweaty lock of hair off his forehead.

"Did we….?" he said, a look of sudden comprehension and terror crossing his face.

I laughed, climbing into bed with him and snuggling up next to him.

"Yes we did and you owe me big time for saving your horny ass from some ridiculous curse." I said, "you know it probably would have been easier to just ask me and I told you exploring that house was a bad idea."
"yeah yeah, bite me." he said, smiling back at me before closing his eyes for a well-deserved rest.