hope you all enjoy this next installment of "Nothing More". i want to thank all f my loyal readers who have been keeping up this far with me and have been reading my other fics and one-shots, i really appreciate all of the reviews, really i do. speaking of which: you know the drill. please review when you are finished reading, i loooooooove it! thanks everyone for being so kind! much love! ;) ~nomikkin Chapter 26: Truth Uncovered
The students had been filling up the school slowly, but surely throughout the week. Isabell had been delivered about half a dozen letters from Draco within the past two days. He seemed to have taken a liking to sending the little blonde first-year who always found a way into Isabell’s business. With a roll of the eyes to each letter, Isabell set them all on fire. She didn’t do this out of spite and anger towards Draco; she did this to tick him off. And by the last letter she received in bed, she realized that she had pushed all of his buttons and then some. A howler was delicately placed beside her bed on the wooden nightstand, her newly opened eyes scanning it. She opened it up with all of the first and seventh year girls surrounding her with shaking anticipation.
“YOU FUCKING BITCH!! I CAN’T FUCKING-oh who am I kidding?” the howler lowered its voice and floated down to her lap gently as it continued to speak to Isabell as though it were Draco himself. “You know what all of those letters were about. I know that you probably opened this letter up, surrounded by girls who want to know what my true emotions are, but you can’t embarrass me that much. You’re pushing me to my limits Isabell and you know exactly what they are. Please talk to me as soon as possible.”
She scooped up the ashes left behind the red envelope and blew them into the faces of the young girls who were still expecting to hear more from the “Slytherin Sex God” as everyone deemed him. The ones who caught the stuff within their faces and lungs began to cough uncontrollably as Isabell beamed at them sinfully. She pushed herself off of her bed, smiling as she listened to the three or four girls hack and bark with continuous coughing fits. She slipped out of her pajamas and into her Hogwarts uniform, robes and all. She breezed her way out of the room and out of the Slytherin tower completely.
As she walked down the hallway, she reflected on the past week. Isabell knew that sooner or later she had to end this thing she had with Harry, but their meetings in the library were fun, exciting, and dangerous. Especially when they were underneath the invisibility cloak and she could see all of the other students, none of them knowing what was going on under their own noses. And now, she was off for more of that delectable exhilaration that she could only seem to find with Harry.
Isabell rounded the corner that lead to a set of steps, only to be thwarted off from her journey. She felt the coarse wall rub up against her back, her memory flowing back to a time when Draco had pulled this same exact stunt after the winter ball. She opened up her angered blue eyes to find that it was in fact her best friend doing the same exact thing. He glared at her, but then softened his eyes, pulling her into a public embrace. Isabell’s eyes widened with confusion as she patted his back uncomfortably.
“Draco what are doing?” she asked over his shoulder.
“I’m apologizing,” he answered, his grip tightening over her body.
“You hate public displays of affection … or emotion for that matter,” she grimaced.
He pulled back, his hands now pressing against the walled area on either side of her head, “I want to talk to you. I figured this would get you listening to me.”
“Well, you’re right and wrong at the same time. I want to listen, but I have to go to the library,” she responded, a small, villainous smile curving her lips.
“Are you trying to get back at me?” he asked, knitting his brow together with suspicion.
“Maybe.”
“Isabell, you can’t keep-”
She stopped him by pulling him back into a hugging embrace. Harry had just rounded the corner and was throwing her a suspicious glance. She gave him the “what-do-you-want?” look. He responded by making a hand gesture as though he was opening up a book and then held up seven fingers. Isabell was about to shake her head no, when Draco tugged out of her hold and turned around. He raised an eyebrow towards Isabell; he saw nothing for Harry had pulled the invisibility cloak over him in just enough time.
“As I was saying before; you can’t keep playing games with me,” he stated.
“Why not? When that’s all you’ve been doing all year! You keep on turning me on and off like the tip of a bloody wand! Will you make up your fucking mind you bloody prat!” she hollered.
“I don’t under-”
“Don’t you dare give me that shit. You know very well what I’m talking about!”
“Really? So what was all of this ‘nothing more’ nonsense? Hmm? ‘Cause in all honesty, that’s the main reason why I’ve never pursued anything with you! Now all of a sudden you want to be with me?! I think you’re the one who needs to make up their mind in this thing we have!” he snapped. Draco looked over to where Harry was standing and said, “Potter you can remove that stupid cloak. It doesn’t seem to be working for you anymore now that you’ve grown out of it.”
Harry drew the cloak off and revealed himself; he was caught anyways, why pretend any longer? He directed his gaze over to Isabell who had a strange smirk across her face, like she had just accomplished something. Draco looked between the two of them and then that’s when he realized what was going on at that moment; she was fooling around with Potter. The enraged Malfoy drew out his wand, one of his palms still pressed against the wall beside Isabell. A look of fear was expected to overcome her eyes, but it never did, surprisingly enough.
“Malfoy, put down your wand,” Harry whispered, bringing his own out and directing it at him.
He glanced at the boy with the awful scar strewn across his forehead, “You think I’m going to hurt her, don’t you? How sweet.”
Harry glared at him through his shimmering glasses, "Like father, like son."
"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS AS THOUGH YOU KNOW THEM!!" Draco shouted, thrusting out his wand towards Harry.
He was just about ready to throw out a hex at him, but he was stopped, yet again, by Isabell who had grabbed onto his robes, chucking him a pleading look. He narrowed his eyes, wondering just what she was up to.
“You can’t possibly be protecting him!” he exclaimed.
“What has he done to you to make you hex him?”
“Threw my dad into jail for starters.”
“He deserved it, you admitted it,” she replied.
“Okay, how about he’s taking you from me. How’s that for an excuse?” he retorted. “You’re mine!”
Isabell pulled her hand back and slapped it across Draco’s cheek, stating menacingly, “I am no one’s property and you will never refer to me as such!”
He looked up at her, half of his face had now exploded in a bright red color. Harry was still holding out his wand towards him and Draco had yet to tug his own self defense down. He kept his gaze glued to the girl before him. How had things turned around in such a short amount of time? She some how had the upper hand on him and, in all truth, when Isabell had power she knew how to use it to her advantage. Thus, she sighed and softened her expression; it was just another mask to lessen the tension.
She shook her head with disbelief at the boy before her. Isabell slowly walked up to him and removed his wand from his grasp, which had been pointed at his adversary for some silent time now. Harry lowered own self defense as he watched the young red-head guide her friend away from the duel that would never be … at least not while she was around.
Draco didn’t exactly know what to do; he had never been dragged away from a duel; usually he was able to sneak his way out. But here was a girl who knew what she was doing and seemed to know that she had him wrapped around her slender, perfectly manicured finger. He wasn’t one to admit he was scared, but when Isabell was calm, cool, and collected, he became not only terrified of her, he was freaked out like no other.
“Draco,” she said, her soft voice cutting through the silence that had masked over them, “you have never lost me and you never will.”
She turned around and looked at him, his jaw was slightly hung agape, “But what about Potter? You were obviously conversing with him behind my back … literally.”
“Torturous, isn’t it?” she grinned.
It took him a while to think about what was going on. They were now standing in front of the wolf-splashed painting. They were sleeping underneath the moonlit sky of the canvas … all but one, the leader. He was staring at the couple, wondering if they were going to make their move yet. Draco mumbled the password and let door slowly swing open for him, yet he never went inside. He was still wondering what the hell was going on. Then it hit him like a bludger to the head as he climbed through the portrait hole.
“Was this my payback?” he asked, his eyes wide with a confused sort of fear.
Isabell wagged her thin fingers at him in goodbye as she turned around on her heel and strutted off into the night. The door slammed shut, leaving Draco to ponder what had just happened; was he being played with again? He had never been able to understand this girl and what she was up to half the time. Usually it was no good, but as he quietly walked past the crackling fire where Hermione was studying, he contemplated whether or not Potter was the real deal. He almost felt sorry for the stupid half-blood; he was in way over his head and he had no idea what he was in for.
Then again, almost doesn’t count.
Draco crawled across the bedspread, trying his best to tag his friend who had just made a quick escape from his small grasp. He swung her tiny legs around and jumped off of the tall bed, trying to get rid of the title “it” which he had had for so long. Isabell maneuvered her way around the room, her skin just missing his fingers. She laughed and giggled as she ran to the other side of the bed, taunting him. Draco didn’t know whether he should climb back over like he did before or if he should run after her. But every time he made a move, she went the opposite way.
“I almost got you!” he whined. “Doesn’t that count?”
“You almost got me, but you didn’t tag me,” she retorted.
“So I take that as a no,” he said, his breath short and raspy.
The two toddlers continued to chase each other around the young Malfoy’s room, when his mother walked in with a catlike grace adorned to her figure. She smiled at them and held her arms out, stopping them dead in their tracks as they tried to make it past her. Narcissa eyed the young couple with a suspicious expression etched across her face, but she soon wiped it away with a warm and gentle smile.
“What have I told you two about running around the house?” she declared, shaking a finger at them.
Draco approached his mother with a question in his eyes. He clutched onto her legs, hugging her tight and staring into her grey-blue eyes as he asked, “Mummy, does almost count?”
“What sort of question is that, love?”
“He almost tagged me,” Isabell answered, swinging her weight back and forth from her toes to her heels and lacing her hands behind her back.
“Well, in that case, no Draco. Almost doesn’t count,” she smiled. “I’m afraid you really need to tag her in order to get Isabell to be it.”
“But I don’t want to!” he complained, his voice being lifted up into the same whining state it was in before.
Narcissa bent over and lifted the tired boy into her arms as she said, “I think someone needs a nap.”
“I don’t wanna!” he griped, trying his best to wriggle out of his mother’s grasp. “I don’t wanna take a nap!”
“Draco!” a voice snapped from behind.
Narcissa spun around on her foot to find Lucius standing in the doorway, his robes coming a complete stop as he leaned against the wooden frame, “What have I told you about whining?”
“It is not tolerated in this house,” Draco sniffed.
“Exactly. Now get into bed and take your nap,” he ordered, now turning to Isabell who was still standing in the middle of the room, not really know what to do with herself. “Isabell, your parents are here to take you home.”
She walked out of the room, passing by the intimidating Lucius who had kept his eye on her until she rounded the corner, descending the staircase. When she caught sight of her parents, she noticed that their expressions had … hardened. Marcus was glaring at Lucius as though he had done something wrong, which no one would be surprised by. Marie was expressing her feelings as though she was backing her husband up in his decision to be angry with Lucius. Isabell didn’t know what was going on; all she cared about was being carried home, which she finally was.
As she plopped down on her bed, Isabell wondered where the hell this was all going to go. She looked over on her nightstand and found a letter folded up on it. Her name was scribbled across it with a handwriting that could only have been a boy’s. She sighed, opening it up and trying to find the perfect spot of moonlight to read it under. All of the other girls had gone to bed early, seeing as how most of them had just gotten back from their holidays. Isabell squinted as she read the chicken-scratch handwriting. It wasn’t Draco; that was for sure. He was raised up to have perfect penmanship as well as being all around perfect in his fathers eyes. The letter read:
Isabell-
I just wanted to know what sort of part I played in this twisted game you’re playing. Do I mean anything to you? I don’t even know why I opened up the compartment door on the train in the first place. Why did I have to fall for the devil in Slytherin’s clothing? Oh wait … all Slytherins are devils, that should have tipped me off. Well, whatever we had I suppose it’s over now that Draco’s back in the picture. I thought you might have been different … guess I was wrong.
-Harry
Maybe Isabell should have felt guilty, but she didn’t, as bitchy as that sounds. She hadn’t felt guilty since she smashed her Aunt Christina’s priceless Chinese vase. She wondered if this was just another side affect of being a pureblood. Her mind was swirling with reasons as to why she shouldn’t feel anything, but none of them seem right or just. Isabell started off this affair with good intentions of actually just having herself a fling and now she had turned it into a game just to hurt Draco, which it did in some cases. He knew she was doing something behind his back, that much was true. As much as she was tired of living the “perfect” life, Isabell couldn’t seem to draw herself away from it. She had her chance with Harry to take her mind, body, and soul away from all of the chaos that the pureblood life had ensued, but she didn’t take it.
Her eyes shifted over to the tall windows at the end on the room where the moonlight was pouring in. The snow was lightly sprinkling the grounds, making everything seem more dismal. Isabell knew that the war was coming closer and closer as each day passed, but in the walls of the school, under the protective spells, it didn’t feel as though dozens of people were getting killed everyday out there. Was this the life of a pureblood? Ignorance? War? Destruction? Heartbreak? As her heavy-lidded eyes closed shut on her mind, she answered those questions with a definite yes, and she didn’t like that … not one bit.
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