~ Jaded Eros Presents ~
CHAPTER SIX - PART A:
Oh Gods!! Don't Stop!!
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Harry drew his invisibility cloak around his shoulders and began to descend the
staircase leading to the Great Hall. With every step he took, his pulse beat
faster and faster, He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this… It
wasn’t too late… he could still turn around, he could still pretend he
thought the whole thing was a joke. After all, that was how this whole mess
originally began anyway.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. His mind was racing in so many
different directions. He was excited and nervous; he was afraid and hesitant,
almost panicking in anticipation. He had to focus! He had to breathe!
By the time Harry reached the bottom of the staircase, he was almost
hyperventilating. He took a moment to try to gather his wits as he walked
through the massive archway leading into the great hall. He suddenly realized
how abnormally quiet the halls seemed. He guessed that it had something to do
with the fact that when he was normally in this room it was also occupied by a
hundred or so other students. Although he had also been here by himself many
times in the middle of the night, he had always just been passing through on the
way to another location, and he always had his mind focused on whatever endeavor
had caused the voyage. This time was different. This time he didn’t know what
to expect. And above all else, this time he was nervous.
His eyes surveyed the dark room, finding it difficult to see anything since the
only source of light was the illumination provided by the stars from the
bewitched ceiling high above, which gave the room an almost eerie quality, as if
nothing was real, only a shadow of the world he knew.
He didn’t see Malfoy, but then again, he probably was a few minutes early. He
had a tendency to be overly punctual when he was nervous. It was an obsessive
trait that had developed in his childhood, since the Dursleys were a lazy bunch
and prone to tardiness.
He decided to take a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table and await
Malfoy’s arrival. He looked up at the ceiling at the stars twinkling above,
hoping the tranquility might calm his nerves. He took a deep breath and slowly
exhaled as he relaxed his eyes and took in the entire night sky above. So many
stars, so far away, so many patterns, so many shapes, and the moon was so
bright. A shooting star crossed and disappeared from view as it passed the edge
of the ceiling and could not continue onto the un-bewitched wall.
Harry eventually grew tired of the stars, and allowed his gaze to drift
elsewhere. He peered down the long tables towards the staff table at the
opposite end of the room and thought of Dumbledore. He could almost see the old
man sitting there in that large chair. He wondered what Dumbledore would say if
he were here right now. Would the Headmaster have any words of encouragement for
him at this particular time? He laughed to himself. As if getting tips from
Hermione wasn’t awkward enough…
He glanced nervously towards the corridor leading towards the Slytherin dungeons
and wondered where Malfoy was. Maybe this was all some kind of cruel joke after
all. Maybe Malfoy had never even planned to show up. Maybe he had just wanted
Harry to wander around the school in the middle of the night in a leather thong
and collar and get caught by Filch.
Harry shrugged off the thought. That couldn’t be the way this strange ordeal
would end. Although he wouldn’t put it past the Slytherin to do something like
that, he did think it would be rather risky to send a collar with the Malfoy
name inscribed on it if he wasn’t serious. What would stop Harry from showing
the collar to everyone and creating some elaborate story to humiliate him? This
had to be real. Malfoy had to be coming. But what could be keeping him?
Harry decided to go and look down the hallway leading to the Slytherin dungeons
so that he would see Malfoy as he arrived. Since he was safely under his
invisibility cloak, he would be able to judge the expression on Malfoy’s face
as he approached, and decide what to do from there.
He got up and crossed the floor, being careful to keep his footsteps as quiet as
possible just in case there were any teachers out patrolling. He suddenly wished
he had brought the Marauder’s Map with him, but he had completely forgotten it
in his haste. He had almost reached the hallway when he bumped into something
and fell back on his arse with a thud. He was surprised to hear whatever it was
he had run into grunt followed by a similar thudding noise.
He looked in front of him, but there was nothing there.
“Hello?” he said cautiously
“Who’s there?” said another voice, cracking slightly
“Malfoy? Is that you?”
“Potter?”
Harry saw a disembodied head appear a couple of feet in front of him, and could
tell instantly that it was in fact Malfoy by the blonde hair that shown silver
in the pale moonlight. Harry uncovered his head as well and stared back at the
boy.
“You have an invisibility cloak?” Draco scoffed in disbelief.
“Yes… it was a gift”
“Who gave you an invisibility cloak??”
“Well… it’s kind of a long story. It was a gift from my-”
“Never mind,” said Draco, cutting him off “I’m not really that
interested, come with me.”
Draco’s head disappeared again and after a moment Harry heard the sound of
footsteps getting farther and farther away. He quickly got up and chased after
the footsteps leading him blindly into the Slytherin dungeons. Harry quickly
realized that he had no idea where he was and he could barely hear Draco’s
footsteps over the pounding of his heartbeat.
“Um… Malfoy. I can’t see you.”
He heard Malfoy chuckle a few feet in front of him. “Well, you’re certainly
eager aren’t you? I wouldn’t get too upset Potter, you’ll be seeing plenty
of me soon…”
Harry was suddenly glad that it was too dark for Malfoy to see his face as he
felt his cheeks flush from embarrassment.
“No… that’s not… what I mean…”
“I know what you meant”
Harry suddenly saw a disembodied hand appear in front of him. He wiped the sweat
off his palm before hesitantly reaching out from under the robe and placing his
hand gently into the invisible Slytherin’s. He felt Draco’s hand tighten
around his own as he felt himself being dragged forward through the dark
corridors. They walked for what seemed like an eternity to Harry whose heart was
pounding louder and louder in his ears with every footstep. He was tempted to
try to strike up a conversation to help ease his nerves, but he didn’t know
what to say.
They finally stopped in front of a large painting of Dionysus, the Greek God of
Wine, who was surrounded by several scantily clad worshippers.
“Bacchus!” barked Draco.
Harry jumped slightly as the sudden noise sliced through the silence of the dark
corridors. The portrait slowly creaked open to reveal a staircase leading deeper
into the depths of the Slytherin dungeons.
“Watch your step. I wouldn’t want to spoil my fun by having to rush you to
the infirmary” said the Slytherin icily.
After being dragged down the long flight of steps, Harry felt the Slytherin’s
hand detach from his own and he found himself in a large room, lit only slightly
by a few torches at opposite sides of the room. As Harry peered into the
darkness, he could barely make out some chains hanging from the ceiling and
shackles mounted on the stone walls. He couldn’t help but wonder why a room
like this would exist in a school. Maybe this was one of the rooms that they
used to discipline students in, like Filch was always talking about?
He felt a shiver creep up his spine as he realized there was no turning back
now. He was here. This was real.
“Take off your cloak”
The sound echoed off the walls in the vast room. Harry looked around to find the
origin of the voice. He knew that Draco was here somewhere, but he was still
underneath his invisibility cloak and the fact that Harry didn’t know where he
was unnerved him slightly.
“Well, what are you waiting for? I said Take off your cloak!” said the
Slytherin again, firmer this time.
Harry obediently unfastened the cord around his neck and let his invisibility
cloak fall to the floor, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and alone…
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