AN:  Please Note; WARNING, this short fic contains implied SLASH and Strong Language.  Rated M/R.

This is Segment Five in my ongoing Prequel of Beauty in Perfection; Stand by Me.  It is just a group of short drabbles that bring together the characters featured in that fic.  Enjoy.  Blessings.  LL

Summary:  Draco . . . The Threaded Connections of our lives often take us to surprising places to encounter new experiences and people.

"    " indicates speech
'    ' indicates thoughts
 

Perspectives; Draco v Piers
by imLittleLily

Outlander's Threshold; The First Step . . .

Draco Icekat Malfoy stood in the center of a clearing deep in the Forbidden Forest studying its potential use for a clandestine meeting place.  He looked down as he heard a soft chuffing sound from his companion.  "What do you think?  Is this far enough away; yet still close enough to Hogsmeade?"

The black wolf scanned the edge of the clearing and sniffed the air. 

His silence caused Draco to frown.

Finally after many minutes, the wolf transformed.  Blaise Zabini now stood next to his friend.  He was smiling and finally said, "It seems fine to me.  I actually like the fact that Hogsmeade is only ten minutes from here.  D. can use this as a meeting and training center when we get together."

Draco nodded as he pointed to the eastern edge of the clearing and said, "We will put a cabin over there because it will then back up against the thickest part of the forest in this area.  Then we will ward the whole clearing so that only specified people can cross the wards to enter the cabin."

Blaise nodded and replied, "Well, let's get started then."

Draco smiled.  They started with the small cabin.  They wanted it to be comfortable and very expandable for winter time training.  The two young wizards worked comfortably in tandem as they conjured and transfigured any items that would suit their purpose.  An hour and a half later, Draco was satisfied that its construction was to his standards and that it was well supplied with necessary items.  Anything else they may need later could simply be gotten on an as needed basis.  He nodded to Blaise and glanced at his watch as he said,  "Let's set the wards now before we head back to Hogwarts."

Blaise walked out to the clearing where they began to set the wards; clearing the space of any threatening adversaries.  Once they had finished, they stood at the edge of the clearing with a strong sense of accomplishment.  Draco smiled and motioned for Blaise to follow him to the western edge.  Once there, Draco pulled his wand in a motion which drew an opening between two large oaks.  A shimmering film seemed to glow and pulsate for just a moment and then dissipate into the surrounding trees, leaving only the natural essence of the surrounding forest.

Blaise grinned at Draco and raised his hand.  He pushed it forward - it disappeared.

Draco smiled a smile that was rarely ever seen on his countenance.  Only his closest friends were familiar with its beauty and power.  Draco turned to Blaise and said, "It is well within the wards so we won't have to worry about somebody else slipping through.  I will go tonight and bring D. through after we set the portal at Smeltings.  That is when I will key this end to his blood."

Blaise smiled at his friend's exuberance and then shook his head as he thought, 'Not enough people ever see him like this.'  He snapped his fingers and transformed in preparation for the return trip to Hogwarts.

Draco smirked and in a blink of an eye, Icekat was standing next to his friend.  He turned his sterling eyes to the wolf as he expressed a challenge, "Race ya . . . "

Blaise took off . . .

Kat smirked as he thought, 'Hey, I thought the dog was supposed to chase the cat.'  He increased his speed until he caught up to Blaise only to then nudge his friend over when they were side by side.  Rough housing and gleeful frolicking followed.

Dudley Dursley scowled at the nurse who was standing in front of him insisting that it was necessary for him to stay in the infirmary for the night.  Scowling hurt like hell, but he was very determined that he was not going to be policed and caged under her watchful eye here for the night.  He insisted, "I am fine.  I would prefer to sleep in my own bed tonight.  Just because I needed a few stitches doesn't mean that I am . . . "

Nurse Barton spoke with a voice of authority, "You don't realize, Dudley, that you most likely have a concussion along with the fifteen stitches required to sew you back together."  The nurse bore her own frown and turned to Coach Glover seeking agreement to her insistence that he stay right where he was for the night.

Dudley frowned and shook his head at Coach while the nurse wasn't looking.

Coach Glover studied his favorite and most prized athlete closely.  He reached out and turned Dudley's face so that he could get a better look at his injury and stitches.  He felt D.'s stress under his fingers and turned his face back to him.  He looked into his eyes and saw stubbornness.  He gave a very vague wink and turned to the nurse and said,  "I think he will be fine back in his dorm.  I am sure that he will be willing to come and check in with you first thing in the morning," he turned to D. and quirked a brow as he asked, "Am I right?  You will be back here in the morning?"

D. nodded as he stood up from the bed and reached for his shirt to put it back on.  "Yes sir.  First thing in the morning - even before breakfast," he added as he pulled his shirt over his head.

The nurse frowned at both of the conspirators and shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips.  "Tsk, tsk . . . boys," she hissed out angrily.

"Ah Clara," Coach Glover gave her a small smile trying to appease her and then he continued, "there is no harm in him sleeping in his own bed tonight.  I would think that an empty infirmary would make your life easier."

Not appeased in the least, she gave them both another glare and turned to reenter her office where she closed the door firmly to indicate her annoyance.

D. bit his lip and arched his brow at Coach as he said, "Thank you, sir."

Coach nodded and replied, "Off with you, D.  I expect you to follow through or we will both be in trouble with her."

D. smirked as he left the infirmary wondering if Coach would attempt to appease her once again after he was gone.  Oh well, there was always that speculation.  He on the other hand had his own plans for the night.  Company was coming and he still had to deal with Piers back at their dorm. 

When D. arrived back in his dorm he was relieved to find that Piers was still in the bathroom.  He began to prepare for Operation Nighty-night for Piers.  He smirked as he ducked his face down to his bag as Piers entered the dorm.

Piers Polkiss stepped out of the dorm bathroom from his post boxing match shower to see D. rummaging through his duffle bag.  He arched his brow and asked, "Did you lose something?"

D. grunted in response as he continued to rummage and pull personal items out.  Finally he made a sound of triumph and stood up straight with a book in his hand.  "Found it," he said with a triumphant grin.

Piers looked at the book with confusion and asked, "What, exactly did you find."

D. shook his head and opened the book and pulled out a folded paper and opened it.  He smirked at his roommate and replied, "The extended schedule, of course.  I wanted to see where the next match is going to be.  I think it is one of the schools that we have never competed against before."  He looked down at the paper and scanned the list.  "Yeah, here it is, Adam Smith @ Cawfields Prep.  It is in Northumberland."

Piers walked over to D. and looked down at the schedule.  He reached out to take it from him.  Just as his hand came into contact with the paper . . .

D. studied his unconscious friend lying on his bed as he frowned and thought, 'I should have had him closer to his own bed.'  He turned at the sound of a rock hitting the window.  He walked to it and opened the inner window and reached to push the bars aside.  He grinned to himself as he thought, 'Damn, it pays to have wizards for friends.'  He hissed out into the darkness, "Blimey, almost didn't make it. Be down in five."

A soft whistle pierced the night air to let him know the message had been received.  D. pulled back into his room and began to change quickly into all black clothing.  Once he was changed, he glanced at Piers and shook his head thinking, 'Sorry mate, but you have been way too nosy lately.'  He climbed out onto the roof that extended out under his window and then turned to slide the window down to just an open crack - that way he would be able to lift it again once he returned.  He closed the window bars and turned to begin his trek down to the ground.  He landed safely on the ground with a grin at Draco.

Draco grinned back and asked with a grin, "How's Piers?"

D. rolled his eyes and shoved his friend as he replied, "Sleeping like a baby for now.  Didn't you say that we would only have an hour?  We better hurry.  By the way, did I mention to you that it is just plain morbid for you to be able to knock someone out like that?"

Draco smirked and hissed in a Slytherin drawl, "Basic Slytherin 101, my friend.  How best to subdue your opponent when you don't want to make a mess."

D. snorted and said, "Yeah, well it would have been good if you had told me how fast it would work.  Now I have someone sleeping in my bed."

Draco's brow rose as he asked, "Really?"  He brought his hand up to his heart and said with laughter tingeing his voice, "I'm crushed to think that Piers is being unfaithful - and with a friend no less." 

D. laughed and said, "You are incorrigible."

The two of them continued across the campus on their way through the night to the alley behind the kitchens bantering easily between them.

When they arrived at their destination, D. whispered, "This is it."

Draco nodded and scanned the area with his nighttime cat vision, taking in every minute detail.  After several minutes he whispered, "This will be the best place for placement."  They approached two overgrown shrubs as Draco asked, "Do they get trimmed often?"

D. shook his head and replied, "Never.  In fact, I know for a fact that Cook Wilson likes them overgrown because it gives privacy to the alley from the back street behind us."

Draco nodded as he thought about what they were going to do.  This was it.  Tonight he would find out if all of his study on wards, portals and blood would pay off.  He inhaled a deep breath and drew his wand from his sleeve and began his spell work.

D. watched with growing interest.

After several minutes of work, Draco turned to his friend and whispered, "Ok, I need your hand, preferably your dominate hand."

D. nodded and held out his left hand.

Draco took it and looked at it for a second before looking up to D.'s brown eyes.  He whispered, "I am going to cut you and use your blood to set the key for the portal.  That way, you will be the only person who can go through.  The thing is, I have had to use a rune that the Malfoy family has used for generations as part of our stamp or magickal signature so that I can take you through.  I will return later and remove it."

D. looked down at his hand as Draco's blade sliced his index finger.  He watched as his blood began to seep out of the cut.  'Strange,' he thought as Draco then raised his hand and marked the portal that he had drawn there.  There was a shimmering glow suddenly and then D. watched as it dissipated to blend in with the shrubbery.

Draco smiled at the phenomenon and then whispered, "Watch."  He pushed D.'s hand forward.

D. gasped softly as his hand disappeared before his very eyes.  A strange sensation filled his being, almost as if he had put his in hand into water.  The feeling was as gentle as a soft caressing breeze on his skin.  He smiled as he pulled his hand back to this side only to push it through once more.  "Awesome," he whispered in admiration of his friend's accomplishment.

Draco smiled his best smile as he watched.  He tilted his head and wondered why it had been so simple.  He shook his head to himself and decided that he would not think about that - he would rather enjoy the fruits of his labor.  He grinned mischievously and gave D. a push.

"Ah . . . Dray . . . "  D.'s voice vanished to the other side of the portal.

Draco stepped through with a grin.

D. stood and turned on his friend with a mock glare and swung his foot and hand around in an offensive move to playfully take his friend down.

Draco laughed and said, "I just thought maybe you needed a little encouragement . . . that first step is always the hardest."

After several minutes of playful sparring, the two friendly combatants stopped to catch their breath.  D. looked around the woodland clearing with interest.  His brow rose as he noticed the cabin.

Draco said, "Come on.  I will show you what Blaise and I worked on."  He led D. up onto the small porch and opened the door.  As he opened the door he said, "We wanted to create a place away from Hogwarts where we could practice our forms without possible chance of discovery by other students.  The cabin is completely warded against intruders.  It will also remain unseen to anyone that is not apart of our group.  This way, you will be able to join us here for practice."

D. let out a soft  whistle when he realized that the cabin was outfitted for comfort.  It was deceptively small on the outside yet very comfortable on the inside.

Draco smiled as he watched D.'s expression and then he reached into a cooler and pulled out two butterbeers.  He tossed one to D.

D.'s brow rose at the strange drink.  He had never heard of Butterbeer.

Draco smirked and said, "It is wizard's drink - butterbeer.  Try it, you'll like it."

D. twisted the cap off and took a sip.  It tingled with effervescence all the way down while giving a comforting feeling that reminded him of smooth warmness.  His brow rose and then he whispered, "Wow, that is smooth," and then he took another drink.  He smiled as his gaze traveled around the cabin once more until they landed on Draco's lounging form in a chair.  He quirked a brow at his friend and said, "I do believe, Mr. Malfoy, that you are a diabolical influence on me.  First, you get me accustomed to dealing with magic on a regular basis, then you teach me how to escape the boundaries of my school and then . . . "

Draco was laughing as he said, "Oh yeah, little innocent Dudley, he who has never pulled a prank, smoked a cig, or kicked ass when he felt like it."

D. grinned and then looked down at his watch as he stood.  "Well," he said, "I must be off, you know,  Piers is probably getting cold without me there."  He added the last with a leering look to his friend as he then wagged his brows suggestively.

Draco grinned and stood while pretending that he was heart broken that Piers had strayed.  He pouted and said, "You always take the best . . . "

They exited the cabin and made their way to the portal threshold that Draco had created.  Once there, they performed another cutting on D.'s left hand and sealed it from accidental use by any others.  Draco smiled and said, "The shedding of blood . . . "

D. rolled his eyes and turned from him to portal and said, "See ya."

Draco nodded and replied back, "Harry's, 3:00."

D. shook his head as he studied his friend and then he nodded and said, "One of these days . . . "  He smirked as he stepped slowly through the portal while raising his hand in farewell. 

Draco watched as D.'s disembodied hand waved to him.  The thought floated through his mind, 'I wonder what he meant by that?'  His thoughts seemed to spiral around the clearing in their quest for an answer to that question.  He sighed and shrugged as he transformed and began his journey back to Hogwarts.  He couldn't wait to tell the others of his success with the portal and how simple it had been.

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Blanket Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. and all other characters within Potter World do not belong to me. No infringement is intended. I am making no money here; just having fun. Kudos and blessings to the literary genius JKR. This disclaimer is meant to be effective throughout this whole fic. Where mentioned it also includes Pepsi, India Spice Tea and the Psycho Ballistics Delta .68 and last but not least, the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series. Use of these names is solely for entertainment purposes and isn't an endorsement of the product. I am making no money from them either.
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