Redemption
Awakenings
I was walking to Hogsmeade, my head down against the stiff winter winds when I heard a scream. Turning, I saw her on the ground writhing in pain. Katie Bell's face was scrunched up in agony, her body twitching and twisting uncontrollably at angles and into positions that should not be humanly possible to do. I rushed forward in an attempt to help her as her body lifted from the ground and another scream ripped through her throat. However, just before I reached her, the world spun and the town shifted. The next thing I knew, I was in a dark room, a long table before me. Katie's body was no longer Katie's body. Instead, it belonged to a much larger witch -a woman. Charity Burbage looked at me, her wide eyes haunted, her head turning from side to side as she plead for me to help her. Yet, there was no sound; the room was oddly bereft of it, cold, silent and hollow. I reached forward, but she was up too high, I couldn't get to her no matter how I tried. No matter how much I stretched, she was always just out of my reach. Pulling back, I shifted before placing my foot on top of the table so that I could stand on it, but before I could, there was a flash of green. I fell back from the table, landing hard on the floor when her lifeless body crashed onto the firm surface; her cold, dead eyes staring at me, silently asking me why I didn't do anything. I had just opened my mouth to respond when there was an explosion.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by fire, but not just regular fire, fiendfyre. The unusually hot flames licked at my robes and I backed against a chest in the overly cluttered and extremely flammable Room of Requirement. Looking up, I saw Potter swoop down towards me. I lifted a hand, catching his and the other boy pulled me onto his broom. As we made a large arch towards the door, I saw him. Crabbe was yelling out, waving from atop a metal filing cabinet on the other end of the room. I turned to tap Potter to let him know and noticed him gone. I was on the broom by myself. Grabbing the front end, I pulled to the left and looped around back in the direction of Crabbe. As I neared, he called out to me again, waving his arms frantically. I leaned forward on Potters broom and reached my hand towards him. As he reached back towards me, a spark of fyre jumped onto his robe. Before either of us realized it, he was engulfed; flames licked at his clothing, melting the skin from his bones and singeing the hair from his head. One of his eyes began to ooze and bubble from the heat and a single skeletal hand still reached out for me, begging me to grab him. Save him. Give him a chance. Fighting the nauseous feeling in my stomach, I reached for the long bony fingers that flexed lightly in my direction. -Then the scene changed.
The fire was gone, as was the room. This time, the hand that reached towards me was black, withering. Kind blue eyes looked into my gray ones as Headmaster Dumbledore told me that I didn't have to kill, I didn't have to be like them. He gave me a gentle smile and offered to help me, to save me if only I would spare his life. He said that I was nothing like my father; he reached for me once more. I lifted my hand towards him, my startled gaze noticing that it was holding my wand. Like a perverse out of body experience, I felt myself recoil from his kindness. I felt my arm lift and as a clap of thunder sounded in the background, I felt my mouth move to utter the most horrible words imaginable. A green light flashed and the eyes that looked at me were no longer kind… now, they were dead.
-----
I bolted up in the bed, my chest rising and falling rapidly and sweat making my t-shirt stick to my body like a second skin. Closing my eyes, I placed my head in my hands and fought the queasy feeling in my stomach. `It was only a dream, it was only a dream, it was only a dream,' I chanted to myself mentally. However, I could not keep at bay the realization that was only half true, part of them were dreams -part were memories. Taking several gulps of air, I reached towards my nightstand and lifted the glass of water that was there before quickly setting it back down when I noticed how the liquid shook from the tremble in my hand.
You'd think I'd be use to them by now -the nightmares. I've been having them since my sixth year at Hogwarts -since Dumbledore died. They usually varied a bit from night to night. Some nights I would just see one of the many deaths that I contributed to, but on really bad nights, I would see them all. The ghosts of my conscience haunted me nightly, never letting me rest fully. I had tried dreamless draughts and sleeping spells to no avail, they always crept into my subconscious tormenting my psyche and leaving me crushed beneath my guilt. After a while, I gave up on my search for solutions, coming to the realization that what I was getting was no more than what I deserved.
I jumped a bit when the thunder from my dreams echoed through the flat before realizing that it wasn't thunder at all -it was the door.
My gaze flicked to the clock on my nightstand, 11:47 pm. I rubbed my eyes and ran a hand though my hair, looking at the bedroom entrance when the loud bang sounded once more. Sure it wasn't very late, but it was still too late for visitors, especially unannounced ones. Slipping out of the bed, I took off my wet t-shirt and threw on my robe before grabbing my wand and heading out of the room. I reached the door just as two more large bangs sounded.
"I'm coming," I snapped before ripping it opened. I was startled to see the face of Ginny Weasley looking up at me… the very pissed off face of Ginny Weasley.
"What did you do?!" she demanded, barging into my flat.
"What are you talking about?" I returned just as harshly.
She glowered at me for a moment, her cocoa colored eyes flashing dangerously before throwing a paper at me. I caught it as it bounced off my chest. Opening it up, I stared at the headline of the front page for a moment before looking at her once more.
"So?" I asked in a lazy tone.
"So?" Her hand twitched in the direction of her wand. "We had a deal Malfoy! You agreed to stop!"
"I did Weasley," I replied just as snidely.
"You did, then what the fuck is this?! `Guardian Angel Returns to Watch over the City'," she said snatching the paper back and reading the headline aloud. "How is that possible if you stopped?"
I shrugged, "I did stop… then I started again."
She stomped her foot and I suppressed a smile. "You fucking prat do you know what you just did?! Do you know who the first person that Harry and the Minister are going to come to when word of this gets back to the Ministry is?!"
I bit my lip and looked down, running a hand though my hair, "Yeah… sorry."
"Sorry! Sorry!" she scoffed, throwing the paper at me once more. "Sorry doesn't help me now does it?! You do realize that I'm turning you in don't you?"
I nodded lightly and looked at the wall. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
When she didn't respond, I chanced a look at her, only to find her staring at the ground. When she looked up at me a moment later, a frown pulled at her beautifully full lips and something startlingly close to regret shone in her eyes. She shook her head lightly, her loose ginger hair shifting on her dainty shoulders before the look in her eyes changed.
"Why?!" she exclaimed punching me hard in the right shoulder; I flinched. "Why did you do it?"
"Because I had to!"
"No, you didn't!"
"Yes, I did!"
"No, you didn't!"
"Yes, I did!"
"Why?!"
"Because!"
"Because, what?!"
"Because I couldn't sit by and watch someone get hurt or die when there was a way I could help them!"
Her brows furrowed and she took a small step forward shaking her head. "Yes you could, if it's their time-"
"No, I couldn't!" I yelled harshly "I couldn't, not again -never again!"
****************
I stared wide eyed at Malfoy, my gaze searching his, "What are you talking about?"
He gave a mocking laugh, "Like you don't know," he sneered, running another hand though his ash-blond locks.
I stared at him for a moment before whispering, "Dumbledore?" he flinched at the name and took a step backwards. "Draco…"
"What happened to Malfoy," he spat glaring at me.
"Look Blondie," I said picking a more neutral name, "like Tiffany said, what happened was long ago. You were young-"
"Being young is not an excuse," he replied.
"Don't turn my words around on me," I ground out.
"Then perhaps you should watch what you say," he glared.
I paused and then sighed, "Perhaps I should."
He gave me a surprised look before his icy glare returned once more. "Are you done reprimanding me then? I was trying to get some sleep," he stated, motioning towards the back of the flat.
It was then that I noticed that he was in fact dressed for bed. He was clad in green silk sleep pants and a black silk robe that was opened slightly at the top, allowing his pale skin to peak through. It stood out boldly against the dark color of the fabric. His blond hair was tousled and falling into his face and his gray eyes were a bit puffy around the edges.
"I don't know how you can think of sleep at a time like this," I frowned. "Do you know what this means?"
"Well, considering the fact that I doubt it's any different from what you said it meant like two minutes ago then I'll say -with confidence mind you- yes. I know what it means."
"You are such a bloody tosser," I sneered. "Here I am trying to help you and you don't even want to help yourself."
"How are you trying to help me?"
"I got you the deal for anonymity," I answered frowning.
"No, you blackmailed me. -And I refuse to let you stand there and claim you did it as a favor to me."
"If it weren't for me, the Minister would have had your name a long time ago," I stated mater-of-factly.
"If it weren't for you, the Minister would have had no idea about any of this," he replied taking as step towards me.
"Please, they would have found out. It was only a matter of time and you should be happy that you only had to deal with me instead of a whole team of Aurors. Who, by the way, absolutely loath you," I returned taking a step towards him.
"Personally, I'd rather have a group of disgruntled Aurors and a decade in Azkaban to having to put up with you, your misguided views, and your scheming ways," he shot back, taking another step towards me. "I am not some bloody marionette on a string for you to play around with; I'm a grown arse man if I want to do something, I'm going to do it."
I looked up at him and frowned distastefully. "That's just like a Malfoy. You always think you know ruddy everything, when in actuality, you know nothing."
His cheek twitched and he gave me a fierce glower. "What I do know if that if one more person tells me how or what I should do `as a Malfoy' I'm going to…"
"What?" I taunted. "Just like a Malfoy, you people love your empty threats."
"Just like a Weasley," he replied, "you people just love to open your mouths to either talk a shite load of nothing, or shovel food into it."
"Just like a Malfoy, always putting down others because you hope to make them feel as low in the grand scale of things as you are."
"Just like a Weasley," he cocked his head to the side, "no idea how to speak to your betters."
I felt my hands clench into fists as the urge to punch him almost overwhelmed me. "What the fuck makes you think you're better than me? There's nothing about you that's better than me."
"Of course there is," he gave me a crooked smirk, "my language for starters." He stepped even closer, forcing me to tip my head back to glare at him. "If you were a Malfoy, you'd know how a real lady is supposed to act."
"Why you!" I pulled my fist back and let it fly. However, it didn't get far before it was pinned behind my back. "Let me go," I ordered harshly.
"So you can hit me?" he smirked. "I think not Weaslette. Would you let me go if the situation were reversed?"
"Yes," I lied.
His smirk became even more pronounced. "Then that just proves another point for me. Obviously, I have better common sense." He shifted as I tried to stomp down on his foot. "Temper, temper," he taunted, before looking me over, "then again, as both a redhead and a Weasley, I suppose acting with decorum is not something you're capable of."
"You arsehole!" I exclaimed, attempting to stomp on his foot once more, this time his leg came up and blocked my shot before knocking my leg to the side.
A moment later, I found my feet off the ground as he wedged his knee between my legs, leaving me frozen and straddling his thigh. I blinked owlishly, my stunned gaze connecting with his amused one.
"What's the matter Red? Cat got your tongue?" he teased with a smirk.
"Put me down," I hissed.
"Or what?" he asked leaning forward.
Leaning back a bit to escape his advance, I was surprised to feel the top of a table hit my still restrained hands. Giving a quick look over my shoulder, I saw the gleaming surface of his expensive dining room table, the crystal place settings twinkling a bit under the low light of the wall sconce. How the hell had we gotten into the dining room? I searched my mind to remember, but it was no use, his proximity made it damn near impossible to think.
"Or…"
"Or?" he pressed, moving a fraction of an inch closer.
Shifting my torso, I attempted to move back; however, instead of gaining space, I gained the most delicious tingle up my spine. It happened so quick I was unable to stop the small gasp that escaped my lips, my eyes shot to Malfoy and he gave me a slow grin.
"Put me down," I tried again, pissed at myself when it came out as a breathy whisper.
His leg shifted a bit as he removed the pressure that he had been exerting from against the table and his leg slowly moved downward. Just as my feet were about to touch the ground, he abruptly lifted his leg once more and pulled me closer to him, causing me to slide up his hard thigh. Against my will, my eyes fluttered closed and another sound escaped from my lips, this one a low moan. Snapping my eyes open once more, I glared up at him, but instead of gloating, he was watching me intently.
"Put me down, please…" I whispered again, willing to do anything to make this troubling feeling stop.
He gave a jerky nod and slowly removed his leg from between my thighs. The action was deliberate, the movement was leisurely, and the act was driving me to the edge of sanity. I hadn't even realized that he had released my hands until they gripped at his broad shoulders. My breathing sped up, my head fell back, and my mouth opened slightly as I looked up at him. Draco watched me with hooded eyes, his hands lightly holding my waist, his thigh still in the process of its slow seductive descent from between my own. Of their own accord, my hands slid from his shoulders to his soft hair. I gave a small pant when he applied pressure to my back, sliding me back up his thigh then down it once more. The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine. Draco Malfoy not only smelled like chocolate, he tasted like it. His hot mouth melted on mine like a bag of chocolate chips in the sun, and tasted just as sweet.
One of my hands went back to his shoulder while the other one stayed fisted in his feathery locks. His hands remained on my hips, shifting me up and down so that I was literally riding his hard thigh as his warm mouth left mine and made a trail of searing kisses down my flushed neck. As my eyes fluttered open and looked unseeingly at the ceiling, my mind flashed back to the fantasy I had had weeks back when I came across Draco and Tiffany…. Draco and Tiffany…. oh my God! -Tiffany!
Snapping out of my stupor, I gave a hard shove to Malfoy's shoulders. The blond man pulled back and gave me a surprised look.
"You jerk!" I yelled; his brows rose, "You two timing arsehole! I can't believe I -I," there was a loud crack as my hand connected with his face.
Malfoy took a step away from me, his hand flying to his cheek and I fell back against the dining room table, paying little attention to the clinking as of the crystal dishes.
"What the hell is your problem?!" he demanded, removing his hand from his face.
I gave a self satisfied smirk when I saw the red mark that lingered. "What is my problem? I'll tell you what my problem is, no better yet," I held up a finger, "I'll tell Tiffany what my problem is."
Instead of spouting off apologies or excuses like I expected him to, Malfoy just studied me for a moment before giving a deep chuckle. Ignoring the butterflies that the sound roused in the pit of my stomach, I rallied on.
"You don't even care do you?! Just as I thought, you're a selfish prat, only thinking about the next place that you can get your jollies not giving a damn about who you use or step on in the process."
He rolled his eyes, "Did you want a soap box and a bra to burn too?" I growled and moved to slap him again, glaring at him when he caught my hand. "You hit me one more time Red and I'm going to have to hit you back."
"You'd hit a woman," I gave him a disgusted look. "Just like a Malfoy."
He grabbed my other hand and pinned me against him. "What did I tell you about that?" he hissed.
"I don't give a flying fucking cauldron what you told me," I spat back. "You're the one who snogs me while dating my best mate, and then threatens to hit me."
"I did not threaten to hit you, I threatened to hit you back," he retorted with a smirk.
"Same ruddy thing, you would slap a woman? That's despicable, even for you," I sneered.
He arched a brow, "I never said anything about slapping you."
"Let me guess, you said something about slapping me back," I rolled my eyes. "Let me go you prat."
"I don't slap women, or punch women -back or otherwise."
"You just admitted that you threatened to hit me," I replied. "So what did you mean then if you didn't mean you were going to slap me back?"
"I don't hit women;" he gave a wicked grin and I felt my breath hitch in my throat "however, I will provide them with a sound spanking if the situation calls for it."
"Sp-spanking?! Have you lost your bloody plot?!" I exclaimed indignantly. "I am not a child and I'm damn sure not your child! You will not spank me!"
He leveled me with a hard look before his lips tilted into his typical and stupidly sexy crooked smirk. "Try me," he stated simply before releasing my hands.
I stared up at him for a minute before looking away. "This is just stupid." He gave another subtle laugh. "Besides, whether or not you are crazy enough to try and spank me doesn't change the facts Blondie."
"And what facts are those?"
I took a step back when I realized that I was still standing close enough to him that I could feel the heat from his body. "The fact that you just snogged me, and you're dating my best mate, those facts."
He rolled his eyes, "I'm not dating Tiffany."
I scoffed, "Bollocks."
"I'm not, we're just good friends," he shrugged, the belt of his robe gave away exposing his toned chest and I quickly averted my gaze.
"What with benefits?" I smirked making sure to look him in the eyes and only the eyes.
He smirked back, "Fine. We're really good friends then."
"Friends don't shag," I stressed with a frown.
"What do friends do then," he took step forward and I took another back, "watch?"
I opened my mouth and then snapped it shut. "That was an accident…" I muttered lamely.
His crooked smirk returned as stepped towards me once more and I moved away. "You accidentally stood there for fifteen minutes watching us…" he took another step forward; I backed away, "watching me…"
"I-I-I wasn't watching you," I lied taking another step back; he countered mine with one of his own.
"It sure looked," his head fell to the side, ash colored locks falling into steel colored eyes, "like you were watching me."
"Well I wasn't," I replied taking another step back and cursing softly when I bumped into that blasted dining room table.
"Did you like what you saw Red?" he inquired, placing a finger on my chin and tilting my head back so that I was looking up into his eyes once more.
"Hell will freeze over first, Blondie," I replied with a small smirk, "you're way too pale for my tastes."
His lips turned slightly at the edges and he gave me an amused look. "Really?" he inquired with a soft shrug that caused his already loose robe to fall from his shoulders.
My eyes flicked to his toned chest before snapping to a point just over his shoulder. "Yes, really," I breathed.
"Mmm," he replied noncommittally before dipping his head.
When his warm breath tickled my neck, I put my hand on his shoulders and gave him a hard push -he didn't move. "What the hell do you think you're doing Malfoy?!"
His shoulders shook lightly with laughter. "So its Malfoy again is it?" he pulled back and looked down at me. "Well, you've told me what your tastes are and that I don't suit them, I'm just trying to let you know what my tastes are."
"What does you trying to kiss my neck have to do with telling me your tastes?" I frowned.
He arched a brow, "Well its simple really, I need to know if you suit my tastes… however, if I'm going to do that -I have to taste you first."
My mouth dropped slightly and he grinned before dipping his head and capturing my lips in another one of his melting kisses. My hand went from pushing at his shoulders to gripping them as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. When he pulled back, I blinked several times, dazed before glaring.
"You overbearing-" I was cut off when his mouth crashed into mine once again.
"Silence is golden," he smirked a moment later when he pulled away from me.
I glared, "I'll show you golden you fuc-"
He kissed me again before pulling back and smirking once more. "You know your mouth tastes a lot cleaner than it actually is."
I growled, "You sodding bas-" this time when his mouth came down on mine, I put my hands in his hair and yanked.
As I expected, he pulled away rather quickly; however, not as I expected, my traitorous mouth followed. My lips went to the hollow of his now exposed throat as my fingers continued to roughly grip his hair holding his head in place. My tongue swirled around his adams apple as my teeth grazed the muscle in the side of his neck. When he let out a low hiss, I chuckled against his hot pale skin before attaching my lips to his neck once more. I sucked the area I had just bitten for several long seconds before pulling back and swirling my tongue over the deep red mark now located there. I had just grazed him with my teeth again when I let out a yelp.
Before I realized it, Draco was gripping my hair painfully. My hands clawed at his back and shoulders as his sensual mouth licked, nibbled, and caressed my neck. When he locked onto me with his lips, I bucked against him and he placed his free hand on my bum, lifted me up, and deposited me onto the corner of the dining room table. As he continued to suck my neck, I grabbed his hair once more, yanking once, then twice before he finally pulled back. He stared at me his eyes stormy and his chest rising and falling rapidly.
My eyes flicked to his neck and I took perverse satisfaction in the large red mark now located there because of me. Placing my hands against his chest, I curled my fingers and lightly wracked him with my nails.
"Fuck," he hissed.
I smirked, "I thought I was the one with the dirty mouth."
His gaze flicked back to mine, and his mouth turned up on one side before he grabbed my hips and pulled me roughly forward. I gasped as his hardness nestled closely against my softness and glared up at him.
"I didn't give you permission to do that."
He gave me a smug look, "I didn't ask."
"Why you-"
His lips crashed into mine and our tongues dueled with one another, each fighting for a dominant position in the others mouth. His hand went to my thigh and gave a rough squeeze; I lifted my leg and hooked it around his back forcing him closer to me. I didn't realize that he had removed my coat until he took my hands from his chest and tugged the ends of the item over them. As I pulled my arms and hands free of the cumbersome article, I caught his bottom lip between my teeth and bit down.
"Shite Red!" Draco exclaimed pulling back and touching a finger to his lip to make sure it wasn't bleeding.
"Aww, Blondie what's the matter? Afraid of a little nip here or there? Don't tell me I need to rush you to St. Mungo's," I taunted.
"So, you want to play rough do you?" he inquired in a soft deadly tone that sent a tingle down my spine. "No problem."
With a sweep of his hand, he knocked the expensive crystal place setting to my right against the far wall. The plates, bowls, and cups shattered with an explosive bang, but I hardly had time to jump before he was on me. I found myself shifted to the area where the dishes used to reside and my dress hiked up to my neck, his warm mouth was nibbling and licking at my breasts while I wiggled and writhed beneath him. My hands were everywhere, fisted in and pulling at his hair, clawing at his back and gripping at his bum. I moaned and arched as he took a nipple into his mouth, sucking, then biting, then blowing on it. His hands were absent from my chest, having been selected to work their magic in a lower location. My hips lifted and my body mindlessly grinded against the gentle insistent pressure his fingers provided on the outside of my tights.
As I felt myself getting closer to my peak, I pushed his hands away immediately reaching for the waistband of his pants. Sitting up partially, my shaky fingers untied the knot and pushed impatiently at this clothing, while he worked my tights down over my hips. I lifted and they reached my knees. I then switched tasks with Draco and finished divesting myself of them. Looking up, I froze when I noticed he had his wand pointed at me.
"Relax Red," he murmured, his deep, husky voice making me visibly shiver.
Putting the wand to my womb he muttered what I recognized to be an anti-pregnancy spell. I rolled my eyes. "Of course you would have it memorized," I smirked.
He gave an unapologetic shrug and leaned forward. "Well one of us had to be the sensible one… and since you were to busy panting and being putty in my hands, I figured the task fell to me."
I glowered for a moment before reaching forward and slipping my hands inside of the silk pants, gripping him. Pumping my hand several times, I caressed him and he released a low moan, his head falling forward to the crook of my neck.
"You were saying, Blondie," I teased in a low throaty tone.
Draco grunted before his hand went down and grabbed mine, then after knocking another expensive place set to the floor, he captured the other one and slammed them down onto the table above me. He smirked down at me.
"I believe I was saying," he kissed and licked my neck and I arched against him, "that you were putty."
Then, holding both my hands with one of his, he moved the other down to his pants. A moment later he surged forcefully into me and I cried out, my hands moved helplessly against their confines as he continued to pound into me. He groaned and kissed at my neck while I struggled to get my hands free so that I could bring his face to mine. I moaned and whispered, begged and pleaded -stuff I would never normally do and never admit to doing, until he gave in. The moment he released my hands they went to his head, pulling it up from my chest so that our mouths connected once again. As our tongues sparred once more, in and out of one another mouths, twisting and turning, dancing and dueling, my hands went to the base of his back and held him as close as I could get him.
"Harder, faster, harder, faster," I panted into his ear after our heated kisses had temporarily ceased.
He obliged, slamming into me so hard and fast that the last remaining dishes located on the table quickly sailed to the floor from the force. As my legs wrapped around his waist, I felt it… that peak that I had been searching for. The adrenaline rush built up to a fevered pitch and my legs locked around his waist, holding him perfectly still as my body throbbed and tingled around him.
"Draco!" I yelled as the powerful orgasm ripped though me. And a moment later, I was joined in bliss by the wizard in my arms, as he cried out my name and flooded me with his heat. Once we were both slick and spent, Malfoy lifted his head from the location in the crook of my neck where it had fallen. Our eyes connected, the passion educed haze that we were under gone along with the bliss from our orgasms. We stared at one another for several moments before we each frowned.
"Bloody hell." "Shite," Malfoy and I said in unison before his head fell once more.
A.N. Woot! That was `effin hot. *lol* What do you think? Please Review and let me know. And thanks to everyone who responded to my rant in either their reviews and a special thanks to all you awesome readers who went to deviant art to let the girl herself know what you thought! That was so cool ^.^ A side not for all my fellow Harmony Lovers! I have a new story H/Hr called Uncontious Confessions, that I will be posting either this week or next week so look out for it. Ja ne!!
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