Thanks! And welcome, new reader. Here goes nothing!

- Mel

Ch 16
As the train chugged along, Agyness could see that the outside world was changing from dark, dreary, rainy, and urban to partly cloudy and rural. Her head leaned against the windowpane of her small compartment, her brown eyes gazing at the open land as the train zoomed by. It had been hours and yet she had still not discovered, nor cared to ask, what the train’s destination was. She picked up her head and, turning to look and see if anyone was around, she whipped out her wand and, pointing it at a crumpled piece of paper lying on the floor, transfigured herself a cup of coffee. Agyness almost felt like crying as she did this, remembering Hermione’s saying, “You can’t make something from nothing; food’s one of the five exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration.” She took a deep sip of the strong, warm liquid and began to wonder how much of a fool she had been. The trio had been friends with her for years, so why would they have made Draco seem like a monster unless he was? She had been caught up in a cycle that had consumed her too many times before. But Draco had seemed different from other wizards. At least, she had thought so.

Agyness took another deep sip of her drink and settled deeper into the brown cushioned bench of the compartment. She tightened her trench coat around herself and pulled her woolen beret closer around her head, almost as if to stop the cold of loneliness from consuming her.
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The train rattled to a stop and countless passengers, young and old, began to quickly file out through the passageway, causing Agyness to rouse from her deep slumber. Her empty coffee cup had rolled to the floor and her beret had been nudged off her head and onto the seat. She quickly ran her fingers through her dark hair, simultaneously stuffing the cup in her purse and placing her hat back onto her head. When she had stepped out into the passageway that led out of the train, her purse and old Hogwarts trunk in tow, she discovered that she was one of the last stragglers on the train. As she made her way out onto the now-emptying platform, she realized that she had no clue where she was.

Agyness slowly made her way through the train station and when she had stepped out onto the gravelly sidewalk, she made her way over to a rusted steel bench. She took a look at the scenery. The road signs were all in English, which was excellent. She immediately decided that for now, she was satisfied with being in a part of the universe that spoke English. She dug her hand in the right pocket of her trench coat, pulling out two galleons, a knut, fifty quid, and some pocket lint. Not that any of the money might be of any use here.

As she stuffed the contents of her pocket back where it came from, she heard a nearby, accented voice ask, “Care for a smoke?” Agyness turned to see that she was not alone on the bench, but rather sitting a few feet from a ginger-haired, young, pale man who looked about her age and was either a hip muggle or a wizard who was experienced with popular muggle clothing. She guessed the former. He reminded her of one of the Weasley twins, with his aura of nonchalance, his look of slight haughtiness, and the way his mouth had formed into lopsided, roguish grin. “Well, want one?” His grin faltered slightly as he thrust his pack of cigarettes in her direction.

“No, no thank you,” Agyness made an effort to smile and the man stuffed the little white box into the chest-pocket of his brown leather jacket. He brought a freshly lit cigarette to his mouth, breathed in, and blew a ring of smoke from his mouth before speaking again, “So, you from around here?” Agyness noticed his accent, which was largely composed of Dubliner with a hint of English, and made no hesitation to answer this time, “Um, no… I’m from London.” She assumed that she was now in Ireland. As he pressed the cigarette to his lips once more, she asked, “And what about you?”

“Pure Irish, darling. My mum is English, but I guess I took more to my dad’s accent.”
“If you’re from around here, then what are you doing at the train station?”
“Just seeing off one of my ladies.”

Agyness couldn’t stop the look of revulsion that came to her face. Seeing her reaction, he put his hands into the air, his cig between the index and middle fingers of his right hand, and said, “Calm down, love! I just meant my mum. She came for a visit and is heading back to Bristol.” Taking another breath, he began again, “Didn’t know that Londoners couldn’t take a joke.” Agyness’s face softened as she spoke, “I’m sorry, it was a misunderstanding.” There were a few seconds of silence as Agyness gazed out at the old, dirt road and the man took a few more puffs of his cig. “What brings you here?” He asked, turning to face her again, “Shouldn’t your boyfriend have picked you up by now?”

Agyness’s heart seemed to sputter as he mentioned the word: boyfriend. “I’m single,” She spoke, bitterness in her voice. The man took this statement the wrong way, thinking she was bitter about being single rather than bitter about Draco. “Well, you won’t be for long around here,” He smiled and chortled. “Irish men are very aggressive when it comes to the pretty ones. That’s how my dad snagged my mum.” Agyness couldn’t help but smile at his words; was he just being friendly or was he trying to chat her up? After their laughter died down, Agyness spoke, cheer evident in her voice, “I’m Agyness.” She stuck out a gloved hand to meet his bare one. “I’m Marcus, love.” After they shook hands, he inquired, “So, what are you here for? Business or pleasure?” There was silence as she thought of an answer, “Both… no, neither… Really, I just came here to get away…” “So,” Smoke left his mouth as he spoke, a look of calculation on his face, “You’re here for nobody? You’re alone, you have no food,” he began ticking them off on his fingers, “you have no shelter, and by the looks of the contents of your pocket earlier, you have barely enough money to get you through a day or two.” Agyness did nothing but nod as she soberly replied, “Correct.”

“Well then, you’re coming to stay with me.” Marcus spoke matter-of-factly. Agyness’s laugh was full of incredulity as she replied, “You’re not serious?” “Of course I am, why not? Besides, what’s the chance that you’ll meet another proper person – a proper fellow when you’re here? A proper Irish fellow, at that?” He laughed at his last statement, as if the irony of a non-raucous Irishman was too much to handle.

Agyness sat in thought. She came to the conclusion that she would go with him, only for the reason that if things got out of hand, she had her wand and her skills with memory charms at her side. “Come on, what do you say Agy? Mind if I call you that?” Agyness couldn’t help but smile at his charisma. Did he realize that his quick wit and even slight conceit made him charming? “Yeah, sure. It’s a deal,” Agyness rose from the bench in unison with Marcus as he led her away from the station and down the dirt road to the nearby parking lot.

She knew it was crazy. She knew it might even be wrong. But wasn’t that the point of her trip, to embark on an adventure?
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After his confrontation with the Minister, Draco had immediately apparated into Agyness’s flat. At the moment, he didn’t care whether it was bad wizarding etiquette to apparate directly into another person’s home; this was an emergency. After a quick search of the flat, Draco viewed the chaos that Agyness had left it in and slapped his hand to his forehead in exasperation. She was gone, and he had no idea where the hell she could be. He sat down at the small dining room table that he had dined at not so long ago and began to think.

He knew that she was good friends with Luna, could she have gone to visit? But then again, where did Luna live? Could she have gone to her parents’ house? After thoughts of futility began to come to him, he stood up from the wooden chair and made a decision. He needed to visit Potter and his pals. “Back to the Ministry it is,” Draco fiercely muttered as he turned on the spot and apparated away.

Thanks for the welcome!

Anyway, Marcus seems an interesting fellow, I wonder how he develops later on... and Draco, oh he just HAS to find Agy... right?

Anyway, I'll be waiting impatiently for more!

Oooooh, good twist! Although she might just be a bit bonkers agreeing to go and stay with a man she doesn't know!

I actually feel sorry for Malfoy! I can't believe it! You're a miracle worker!

I can't wait for more.

Hiya! Thanks for being patient; I started school on Sept. 2 and that, along with all of my hobbies, chores, etc. limits my writing time. So, here's what you've been waiting for.

- Mel

Ch 17
The old, blue VW of Marcus’s zoomed along the empty dirt road, the landscape changing from countryside to suburban. They eventually reached a small, shabby residence that looked out of place, cramped between two large, brick-walled apartment buildings. After pulling to the curb, Marcus quickly hopped out and ran to the trunk to grab Agyness’s large trunk. Agyness stepped out of the VW slowly and looked around, taking in the scenery of the lower middle class neighborhood. Dragging the trunk at his side, Marcus approached the door and dug his left hand into the pocket of his denim jeans, finally producing a silver key. As he put the it into the keyhole, he turned and, with a grin, spoke, “Welcome to the palace.”

The door swung open quickly and Agyness followed Marcus in, clutching her brown purse to her side. They had entered a rather dark, small living room, light only beginning to filter in once Marcus had opened the gray linen curtains. Once he had lugged her trunk to the side of an old, blue suede armchair, Marcus wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and then ran his fingers through his ginger hair. “What are you carrying in there, Agy, a boulder?” “No, a body,” Agyness quickly answered, causing Marcus’s jaw to drop. “Kidding!” Agyness swiftly corrected her mistake, “Just joking!” Marcus made an effort to laugh before leaving the room to what seemed to be the kitchen. After he left, Agyness slowly made her way across the tan-colored carpet to sit on the blue armchair, still taking in the surroundings.

There was a small, wooden table across the room from her that supported a small, dusty, antennae television. In a corner of a room, there was an impressive stack of records next to… was that a turntable? Before she could observe anymore, Marcus reentered the room, holding something behind his back as a smile played on his face. “Wanted you to meet one of my other ladies,” As he spoke, he pulled a small, white, curly-haired dog from behind his back, it’s pink tongue wagging with excitement as it eyed Agyness. Marcus set the dog down on the floor and as soon as he did, it scampered over to where Agyness sat, placing its front paws on her legs as it barked in greeting. “How adorable!” Agyness reached down to pet the animal’s soft hair, the dog panting as she did so. “Agy, meet Muffin.” Marcus walked over to the armchair, admiring his excited dog, “I think she likes you. Not too many females come in here, so it’s a change of pace for little Muffin here.” Agyness laughed as she continued to pet the dog, now scratching Muffin’s ears.

“So,” Agyness began as Muffin trotted away, happy to have made a new friend, “I see you have a nice collection of records.” “Oh, I’m a disc jockey, or deejay for short,” Marcus made his way over to his turntable and Agyness followed, “That’s how I make my modest living, playing at clubs in the city.” Agyness nodded. Her heart gave a pang as she began to think of what her wizard friends would think of this. “A deejay? What’s that? I get my music from Wizarding Wireless,” Agyness could imagine Ron’s befuddled voice, his pureblood ways having never exposed him to the muggle world.

Agyness brushed off this depressing thought as she began to explore his stack of records, seeing everything from rock and roll to techno. The silence continued as Marcus saw how Agyness was exploring his music before he spoke, “Oh, what a bad host I am! Here, give me your coat and your hat. Do you want some tea?” Agyness took her beret and her trench coat off, and as she handed it to him she skeptically asked, “Tea? I thought the Irish were into whiskey. Tea is an English thing.” As Marcus removed his brown leather jacket, placing it into a small closet with Agyness’s clothes, he replied with a smile, “Just trying to make you feel at home.”
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Draco had already come down the elevator and as soon as the golden bars of the elevator had opened, he had slipped through and had swiftly begun to make his way to Harry’s office. Before entering, Draco could hear Hermione’s voice emanating from inside, “What happened to you? You were supposed to meet Ron and I-” “Well, I didn’t, alright? I’m sorry,” Harry harshly replied. Hermione began again, in a worried tone, “I don’t know what happened to you. Over the last few days, you were just… odd. And as of this afternoon, you just… came back to reality. What-?” “Hermione,” Harry replied in a stern, though not callous, manner, “Hermione, the point is that I’m back to normal now. I guess I caught a bit of spattergroit or something. It’s been going around, y’know.”

Draco realized that he had been standing outside listening and promptly smacked his forehead with his hand. “What’s wrong with you?!” He thought, “This is no time for eavesdropping!” After scolding himself, Draco made no effort to knock and swung the door open, the sudden intrusion causing Hermione to jump and Harry to drop the quill he had just been writing with. “Yes?” Harry asked quizzically, his eyebrows rose so high that they almost touched his scar. Seeing the murderous look on Draco’s face, Hermione swiftly made her way past Draco and out of the door, not at all comfortable with the oncoming confrontation.

Once Hermione had left, Draco slammed the door closed, strode over to the desk, and leaned towards Harry’s sitting figure, almost nose-to-nose with him. “What – the – hell – is – your – problem?” Draco harshly muttered, causing Harry’s expression to match his. “Get out of my face, Malfoy,” Harry responded as he stood up, “Wouldn’t want to get sacked, too, would you?”

“Ha, so you admit it, Potter!” Draco manically cried, his arms spread in triumph, “You told the Minister to fire Agyness!” “What is wrong with you, Malfoy? First you date her, then you sack her, and now you’re blaming your actions on me?”

At this statement, Draco’s face softened into a befuddled look, but then quickly turned deadly again, “Don’t play with me, Potter. I know that you took Polyjuice Potion before at Hogwarts, Professor Snape told me. What would stop you from doing it again? You couldn’t stand to see Agyness, one of your best mates, together with me, your old school rival. You couldn’t stand the thought of one of your female admirers taking a fancy to me.” Harry’s face reddened with anger, “Hear what you’re saying, Malfoy! Get it through your thick head: I’m with Ginny, why would I want Agyness? I was friends with Agyness for years, so why wouldn’t I have had a go back at school? And besides, if you really didn’t sack her and someone posed as you, then why would you think it was me? Why not Ron or Hermione?” “Because blood traitors and mudbloods don’t have the wit or the nerve,” Draco bluntly stated.

Harry swiped his wand from the top of his desk and fired a curse at Draco. “Sectumsempra!” Harry exclaimed in irritation and fury, causing Draco to duck and the spell to hit a portrait on the wall, the tapestry of the former Head Auror now ripped to shreds as the occupant fled to another part of the Ministry. Once Draco had resurfaced from the floor, he spoke softly and cruelly, “How dare you, Potter.” Harry ran his fingers through his jet-black hair and shook his head, wordless as the memory of their sixth year duel came back to him. “Draco,” Harry spoke calmly, surprising Draco because of his tone of voice and because he addressed him by his first name, “Really, I didn’t sack her, or pose as you to sack her. My memory from the past few days is fuzzy, and I haven’t been feeling well. I’m sorry.” Draco’s jaw dropped. For the first time in his life, had Potter just apologized to him? And, if Potter and pals didn’t do it, then who did? Still composed and remorseful, Harry began again, looking Draco dead in the eye, “Look, I’m sorry that it happened, but I have no idea who the bloody hell did it, or why the bloody hell it happened.” Seeing this sincerity, Draco lowered his wand in unison with Harry, Draco still at a loss for words. “But really, Draco, you should watch out,” Harry began in a cautious tone, “It sounds like you might have an enemy, one that might be out to get not just you, but Agyness too.” Draco solemnly nodded, tucking his hawthorn wand into the pocket of his black slacks.

Draco turned and slowly made his way to the door. He opened it and before stepping into the corridor, he turned and made an effort to smile at his boss. “Thanks, Pot–I mean, Harry.”

Wow! I can't think of another way to put it, just wow! This story is amazing! and so are you!

Nice, good development on both Draco and Agy. OK, me wants more!

Gosh, you people inflate my ego too much. Anyways, here's a cookie! As an explanation for the two weeks past without a post, I have one word: school. I actually do have most of a chapter written but I'm trying to finish it off. By Saturday night (California time ), it should be up!

- Mel

Ch 18
Agyness and Marcus arrived in his tiny, grubby kitchen, their rusted steel chairs creaking as they sat around a little wooden table. Muffin was in the corner by the metal trash bin, heartily eating up her dog chow and lapping up her water from a cracked, plastic bowl. “Oh, the tea!” Marcus sprang up from his seat and turned to light the grimy gas stove, simultaneously grabbing a bronze teakettle from a lower cupboard. While he was preparing their drinks, Agyness took a critical look around the kitchen, crinkled her nose, and asked, “I don’t want to seem rude, Marcus, but when was the last time you cleaned?” Filling the kettle with water, he answered, “Never. I have a cleaning lady.” Agyness began to laugh, but immediately covered her mouth with her hand. He lived poorly and yet could afford a maid? “It’s my sister, Agy,” He began, having finally finished the preparations and left the tea to boil, and took his seat once more, “Her name’s Jesabelle. She comes over to visit and, taking pity on her poor brother, cleans up.”

He grabbed a bruised green apple from a basket in the center of the table and took a bite, a loud crunching sound emanating from his mouth. As he sat, she asked, “Isn’t that taking ad-?” Agyness was cut off before she could finish her sentence. “Nah, Agy. She wants to do it. She seems to enjoy it, at least,” Marcus took another loud, crunching bite of his apple and Agyness decided to leave it at that.

“So, your sister… erm, Jezebel-”
“Jess-uh-bell, Jesabelle, love.”
“Oh, Jesabelle, what does she do? Is she a deejay, too? Or let me guess, a bartender?”
“Haha, funny. She’s a uni student. My parents were proud that at least one us wanted to further our education.”

There was a tense silence. Agyness could tell by the look on his face that his parents weren’t too proud of his profession. The whistling of the teakettle broke the silence and, leaving the half-eaten apple on the table, Marcus got up, turned off the stove, and began to pour their steaming drinks into two chipped, white mugs. After handing one to Agyness, she began after taking a sip of the scalding tea, “So, I’d love to meet your sister. When does she usually visit?” “Oh, it depends. Usually-”

There was a banging at the door. “Marcus!” A female voice called. “Open up!” “Oh, Christ,” Marcus shakily chuckled, set his mug down, and stood up to get the door, “That’ll be her.” As he left, Agyness set down her mug, ran her fingers through her dark hair, and smoothed out her gray, woolen, long-sleeved dress. By the sound of it, Jesabelle seemed to be more rowdy than Marcus. Through the kitchen door, Agyness could hear the front door quickly opening and closing, a hushed greeting consisting of a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, and Jesabelle’s voice coming nearer and nearer, “Marcus, what have you done to the place! I was just here last week and it’s as much of a pigpen as-” Jesabelle stopped at the entrance to the kitchen door, her hazel eyes falling on Agyness. “Didn’t know you had company,” She remarked as he caught up with her, breathing heavily as though he had to run a race to catch up. “Sis, this is Agy. Agy, this is sis.” Marcus spoke, Agyness standing up, a smile on her face and her hand stretched in greeting. “Hello,” Jesabelle spoke, grinning and shaking her hand vigorously, “I’m Jesabelle, call me Jes.” “Delightful to meet you,” Agyness replied, her arm feeling shaken once Jes had released it. Jes reminded her of Luna, with her pale skin, long blonde hair, and small figure.

“So, Marcus,” Jes began, her green eyes glancing back and forth from Marcus to Agyness, “Didn’t know you were trying to get your leg ov-” “No, no, not at all!” Marcus raised his hands in the air, proclaiming his innocence to his skeptical sister, “I met Agy at the train station when I saw mum off, and she needed a place to stay.” Jes smiled and nodded, taking Marcus’s former seat at the table and motioning for Agyness to sit. Marcus quickly turned to grab an extra seat so he could sit with the two women, ready for the questioning to begin. “So, Agy, is it?” Jes spoke, brushing Marcus’s mug and half-eaten apple to his side. “Agyness,” She replied, picking up her mug and sipping the slightly cooler tea. “Agyness,” Jes began, “What brings you to Dublin? You’re English, right? I can tell from your accent.” “I, well, um… London became too… British for me.” At Agyness’s words, Jes and Marcus began roaring with laughter. Once the laughter had died, Jes swiped her hair back and smiled as she said, “I’m sorry, Agy, but that was too funny. Anyways, you’ve passed my test.”

“What test?” Agyness had a genuine look of bemusement on her face. Were these Irish weird, or what? “My little test, I guess you could call it a ‘normal’ test,” Jes responded, “that I administer to all of my brother’s little friends that he brings home. You see, he has a tendency to bring back these weird women; daft, humorless women. One time, this-” “That’s enough,” Marcus cut her off as he saw the amused grin on Agyness’s face. Once Jes had been silenced, it was Agyness’s turn to burst out in laughter.

“No, really, I’d love to hear the story, Marcus,” Agyness giggled as she spoke, gesturing for Jes to continue. Jes grinned seeing her enthusiasm, “I’d love to, hon, but stories must wait ‘til another time. Besides, I have to – I mean, we have to get going soon.” “Get going?” Agyness asked as Jes rose from her chair, smoothing out her black pencil skirt and running her fingers through her long, wavy, blonde hair. “Sorry, but I just came for a quick visit. I’m in a play tonight. Didn’t Marcus tell you?” “Oh, how lovely,” Agyness smiled, remembering how she would attend plays with her parents on occasion as a child. “What play is it?” “The Twelfth Night, have you heard of it?” Jes asked as Agyness and Marcus stood to lead her to the door. “Oh, it’s one of my favorite Shakespearean plays!” Agyness clapped her hands together with gusto. “Oh, then you have to come! Marcus, buy her a ticket,” Jes ordered her brother, Marcus solemnly nodding, “And then you can come to the after-party, Agy! It’s gonna be at the local pub, and Marcus here is going to deejay.”

“Sounds fun,” Agyness smiled, smiled bigger than she had in a long time. “Just bring a change of clothes, love,” Jes remarked as they reached the front door, “The theater will be formal, while the pub will be casual. Just a tip.” Agyness nodded in agreement, although an outfit change was a little over-the-top for her standards. But what the hell, when in Rome… “One question, Jes,” Agyness asked as she was embraced zealously by her new gal pal, though Marcus interrupted her with his own remark, “You wondering why she’s a blondie and I’m a ginger, Agy?” Before Agyness could shake her head to say no, he began, “She’s a bloody traitor, she is. Dyed her brown hair blonde to stand out from the crowd, she did. Let’s just say the carpet doesn’t match the-” Jes harshly smacked Marcus with her blue handbag. Before Marcus could recover, clutching his stomach with his hands, Jes began to leave and addressed Agyness, “So, eight o’ clock tonight, Palace Theater, see you there.” And she closed the door before Agyness or Marcus had a chance to speak.

“Eight o’ clock it is, then.” Agyness murmured and quickly sprang over to her purse in the corner of the living room, carrying it towards the hallway and into the bathroom, leaving Marcus still crouched in pain.
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Draco was pacing back and forth across the drawing room of his mansion, communicating orders to Binka as he spoke, “Put my suits in there, and all of my shoes. Also, go to the safe and bring all of the money in there.” Before apparating to the various areas in the mansion where she would retrieve the items, she began, “But, master-?” “Don’t worry,” Draco replied, still pacing as he eyes determinedly gazed at the floor, “I put enlargement charms on all of my trunks long ago. Just go get my stuff, and quickly.” And with that final statement, Binka apparated to another part of the house. Draco heard a faint crack from the upper floor and the harried opening and closing of drawers as Binka tried to find all of the things that Draco had listed to her.

After leaving the Ministry and thinking over what Harry had communicated to him, Draco had made a decision; possibly even a larger, more important decision than he had made when he had decided to join the Death Eaters when he was sixteen. He had decided to drop everything, his job, his mansion, and his elf, to hunt for Agyness. He had no clue whether it would take hours, days, weeks, months, maybe even years, but after what Harry had said, Draco’s world had come crashing down around him. “It sounds like you might have an enemy, one that might be out to get not just you, but Agyness too,” Harry’s words had run through Draco’s mind hundreds of times already in the past few hours. He knew that there were definitely people that harbored resentment for him, but Agyness too? Had he drawn her into his twisted little web of evil without realizing it?

In a flash, Binka had apparated back into the sitting room, collapsing onto the carpeted floor next to two, large, leathered trunks emblazoned with the initials “DM”. Draco strode over to his luggage and, grabbing a trunk in each hand, remarked, “Binka, I’m going to be gone for a while. Stay here and keep the place tidy, will you?” With a weary nod of her wrinkled head, Draco apparated with the trunks and Binka lay on the floor and closed her eyes, still exhausted.

With a crack, Draco had apparated into Agyness’s apartment, the setting suns last rays spilling through the open Venetian blinds. He strode over to the windows, peered out, and quickly closed the blinds shut to keep prying muggle eyes away. With the wave of his wand, the ceiling light of the fan turned on, and with another wave of his wand and the words, “Sperevelio!”, a purple mist spread over the room. Draco was trying to track if she had performed any magic recently, whether it was apparating or levitating. He had already checked the floo network at the Ministry, before he left, to see if she had been through any fireplaces lately; the records said no.

Suddenly, the thick, purple mist made a turn towards the bedroom and Draco followed, wary of where it was taking him. The purple mist gathered on a spot on the floor, then swirled to quickly form words: “APPARATION TO KING'S CROSS.” At the sight of the words, Draco lowered his wand slowly and the mist disappeared. Had she really been that upset, to just get up and leave like that? Why would she have had such an emotional reaction? Could it be that she lo-?

Another, more decisive, train of thinking, interrupted his slightly awkward thoughts. What if she had been forced to leave, by… the enemy? Turning on the hardwood floor as he prepared to apparate, Draco formulated a new plan. It involved going to King’s Cross and breaking into the security office to have a look at the security tapes. She was bound to have been filmed on one of them.

Yikes! That's quite a cliffie there!

I love this story! Who on earth is after them? Is it Blaise? Do I need to curse him into a thousand tiny drunk little Blaises to teach him a lesson?

Oooh interesting... wants more!

A thousand tiny little drunk Blaises?
They should make an emoticon out of that for SS, maybe it would look something like this:

And glad you're itching for more.
I've written a new chapter, but I need to put it on my USB, transfer it, etc.
It'll be here before the week is done; probably before Friday night, as from then on I'll be a busy bee.

- Mel <3

Ch 19
Marcus’s old, blue VW rattled along the urban roads of Dublin. It amazed Agyness how she was in the countryside not more than a few minutes ago, and now she was in an urban locale. “Versatile place, Dublin is,” Marcus remarked with a grin, seeming to read her mind. Agyness clutched her bag to her side tightly. She had brought her wand, just in case. She could feel the outline of it in her small bag, hoping it wouldn’t poke out as she rattled in her seat in the jerky automobile. The muggles would probably think she was carrying around a twig.

Marcus parallel-parked the car in front of a grand theater, elegantly dressed folk already crowding around the ticket booth and the front doors. “Welcome to the Palace,” Marcus smiled as she took in the grandeur of the place. It was so beautiful, she had to stop her jaw from dropping. The marquee read, in large and elegant script, “The Twelfth Night”. Marcus hurried out of the drivers seat and before she knew it, he had opened the passenger door and offered his hand to Agyness. This gesture took Agyness by surprise, and she couldn’t help but blush. “Thank you, good sir,” She grinned puckishly as she took his hand and hopped out of the car. Releasing her hand, Marcus spoke, “Wait here. I need to get you a ticket. Don’t talk to strangers, now.” Agyness laughed as he disappeared into the crowd, fighting his way to the ticket booth.

Agyness pulled her sweater closer around her and smoothed out her shorts. This was the first time she had really been alone since arriving in Dublin, and a chill seemed to reverberate through the air. Agyness would have thought it was caused by dementors, but she hadn’t been consumed by feelings of hopelessness. Just as she began to scan the crowd, just for the chance that the guards of Azkaban might be present, Marcus ran over to her, a triumphant grin on his face and a ticket in his hand. “Had to go through hell and back for that,” Marcus swiped his left hand through his ginger hair and straightened out his jacket. “These city-dwellers, rough crowd.” She laughed at his attempt as humor as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, beginning to lead her through the crowd and into the theater.

Marcus and Agyness took their plush, red seats in the front row. “Nice,” Agyness nodded and looked around. She had gone to plays before, but she had never had front row seats. “Perks of having a sister in the show,” Marcus commented, taking his seat next to her and beginning to scan the crowd. Agyness took a look at Marcus’s clothes and asked, “Was Jes joking when she said to bring a change of clothes? Because if I got dolled up for this and brought some casual clothes for later-“ “Calm it down, Agy,” Marcus was still scanning he crowd, “I don’t live up to my sister’s dress code. Never have. You look beautiful, and you can change into your other clothes later. I prefer to stand out from the ‘elite’,” He gestured to a group of middle-aged people in the row behind them, the women wearing pearls and the men smoking cigars. Agyness couldn’t help but smile at his comforting comment. Suddenly, loud, brash voices roared over the chatter of the crowd, “Marcus! MARCUS! MARC! Over here! Over HERE!!!” Agyness and Marcus both turned. Agyness could faintly spot a crowd of men, some standing, some jumping, all waving and hollering, in the top tier of seats in the back of the theater. “Wh-?” Before Agyness could finish speaking, Marcus turned her away so she faced the stage once again. She turned her head to look at him and saw that his face and ears now matched the color of his hair. “Something I need to know about?” Her eyebrows raised beneath her bangs as she smirked. Marcus shook his head and the lights began to dim, much to his relief. The play was starting.
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Draco was in the security office of King’s Cross Station. It had been all too easy. He had simply apparated into the security room, the lone, tubby guard asleep and snoring in a chair in the corner, his cup of cold black coffee balanced precariously on his lap. Within just a few seconds, Draco had locked the door and stunned the guard, all with a couple of flicks of his wand. The gray hairs of the guard’s mustache were slightly suspended, as he had been in mid-snore as Draco had stunned him. Draco couldn’t help but snicker at this as a smug smile crossed his lips, proud of his handiwork. “Now, onto more important matters,” Draco mumbled as he turned towards the opposite wall, filled with ten different screens showing ten different areas of the train station. Thankfully he had taken a muggle studies class, so he knew how to operate the machinery. He had taken it out of necessity to become an auror, definitely not out of desire.

He examined the scenes on each of the ten screens, showing what was currently happening. He decided to try his luck at the screen that showed the ticket booth. With the press of a few buttons, the video began to rewind. As it rewinded to earlier in the day, he let the tape play, his narrow, gray eyes scanning the screen for any sign of Agyness. A familiar figure crossed the black-and-white screen and he rammed his hand onto the pause button. He zoomed into the frozen scene and saw what he had expected: it was her, all right, foraging through her purse at the front of the booth. A frown crossed his face as he saw her trunk beside her, confirming his premonitions. He released the pause button and let the video play, then froze it quickly again. Her ticket was in her hand, and Draco zoomed in as far as he could to see the location printed on the stub. Much to his dismay, the video camera didn’t have the technology to zoom in quite that far. He slapped the panel on the wall angrily with the palm of his hand, steam almost coming out of his ears as his anger manifested.

“Why are women so complicated?!” He thought as he leaned against the video-paneled wall, trying to hold in his rage. “Why am I even doing this in the first place? She obviously went somewhere, she’ll have to come back to her flat in London sooner or later. Merlin, I’m so mad I could-!” Draco almost crumpled to the cement floor in shock as a silvery mist erupted charged into the room. Draco placed his hand to his chest in shock as the patronus of the silver stag came to a halt. “She’s in Dublin,” The deep, precise voice of Harry Potter emanated from the mouth of the patronus. With those words, the patronus darted off and vanished. Recovering himself, Draco brushed off his black suit and gave way to a smirk. “I’ll have to send him a thank-you owl one of these days,” Draco murmured, grateful for the angel of a stag that had just been present. With the flick of his wand to release the spell on the locked door and the guard, Draco turned on the spot and was gone.

The security guard, just having been woken up, blinked twice and rubbed his eyes, staring at the spot where Draco had been. With one hand, he lifted his styrofoam coffee cup into the air and examined it, “What’s in this stuff?”

Brilliant chapter! You've left me pondering again...

How does Harry know she's in Dublin?
Did Draco behave himself in Muggle Studies?
Who on earth is after them?
How are those Muggles getting away with smoking cigars in a theatre when there's a smoking ban?
How much does Marcus fancy Agyness?
Does he know she's a witch?
Is he more than he seems?
Does Agyness fancy Marcus?


and about a million other questions

All good questions. I'll try to answer them...

How does Harry know she's in Dublin? You'll have to wait and see.
Did Draco behave himself in muggle studies? That's a good one . I assume so, otherwise he wouldn't have learned much.
Who on earth is after them? Once again, you'll have to wait.
How are those Muggles getting away with smoking cigars in a theatre when there's a smoking ban? Eh, they're elite, & they're Irish?
How much does Marcus fancy Agyness? Hm... That depends on who you're asking.
Does he know she's a witch? Erm... I wanna answer, but I shouldn't
Is he more than he seems? You'll have to think about that one on your own...
Does Agyness fancy Marcus? READ BETWEEN THE LINES.

As for my non-writing period, I feel bad. I really wanna write, but my AP, university-level courses and other activities leave me no time. Besides, for some reason, my most productive time is around 11 at night, my parents are asleep, and I'm in my pajamas. I have no idea why. Another chapter (hopefully more) by the week's end!

I like that, you've answered the questions without saying anything. That's impressive. Deeply irritating of course, but still impressive

Ah, don't worry too much my lovely, school stuff has to come first. I think my own productivity is about to take a dive due to uni work too. Make sure that you do some stuff that makes you happy just because it makes you happy though

Haha nice ending, love the last line.

Good questions there... now, we want some concrete answers, so write more soon!

new reader *waves*

loving it so far =) very dramatic

Gosh, it's been over 3 weeks since my last post. Dammit, school!
Anywhooo, welcome new reader! And thank you all for your patience.
I've been trying to add some visual accompaniment to the chapters. Does it help?

EDIT: Ohmigosh, I just realized I have over 1,000 views, have gotten to Ch 20, and someone rated my FF five stars.

- Mel

Ch 20
The play had ended, and the lights came back on as the crowd whistled and cheered for the cast. Agyness and Marcus both stood with grins on their faces, Agyness clapping jovially and Marcus whistling as the cast came on stage, Jesabelle in center stage. Jes caught Agyness’s eye and waved to her and winked before she took a bow with her fellow cast members. Once her hands ached from clapping, the red velvet curtain had fallen, and the crowd had begun to disperse, Agyness turned to follow a pudgy, waddling woman on her way out through the closest aisle. “Wait,” Marcus grabbed her arm, “Let’s wait for Jes. She’ll come out to fetch us soon. She’d kill me if we left for the after-party without her.” Agyness obeyed and took her seat, her forearm tingling from where his hand just grasped.

They sat in relative silence for a few moments, until only a few members of the audience remained, trudging their way out, and the janitors had started to file in with their brooms. Before she knew it, a flash of platinum blonde hair had whipped out from behind the stage curtain and had bounded onto the carpet in front of where Agyness and Marcus sat. “How was it?” Jes demanded, her eyes twinkling and her face flushed with delight. She had changed into another one of her impeccable outfits, a definite upgrade from the comical Shakespearean costume that she had worn in the play.

“I loved it, Jes! You were excellent as Viola,” Agyness remarked, “Excellent as Viola playing a boy, too. The Twelfth Night has always been one of my favorite Shakespearean plays. It seemed like you had a few admirers in the audience during your performance; it sounded like someone on the upper tier whistled at you.” At this last remark, Marcus and Jesabelle gave into a bout of nervous laughter. “That would be The Lads,” Jes remarked, no embarrassedly raking her fingers through her hair and Marcus scratched his ginger head. “Which reminds me,” Marcus perked up, rising from his seat and beginning to exit, “I need to meet up with them. I’m giving them a lift to the pub. See you Agy, Jes.” And with that, Marcus quickly ran up the aisle and was gone.

Once he had left, Agyness turned her puzzled face towards Jes, her eyebrows rising, “Who are The Lads?”

“Oh, just Marcus’s old friends from school. They always watch my shows and support his music.” With that, Jes had begun to walk out of the theater, so Agyness quickly rose and began to follow. “They’ll absolutely adore, you. I just know it,” Jes commented as they made their way down an aisle and nearer to the door. Suddenly, it clicked. “Jes,” Agyness began, “Were those the guys who were causing a ruckus before the show started, trying to get Marcus’s attention?” “Not sure,” Jes furrowed her eyebrows as she pushed the oaken door open, “I couldn’t hear a thing backstage, but it was probably them. They’re always doing something out of whack.” Agyness nodded in reply, not sure what to make of that statement. Meeting new people always alarmed her somewhat.

“Do you have your clothes, darling?”
Agyness woke out of her thoughts. Clothes?
“Your other clothes that I told you to bring,” Jesabelle’s smile began to turn into a pout. “You’re not going to embarrass me at the after-party, are you?”
“Oh, no, I have them!” Agyness hastily answered, patting her purse with her hand. “When should I change?”
“Oh, at the pub. I’ll get you through the back entrance and to the bathroom.” Jes replied. They were at a curb and Jes was waving down a taxi.
When a taxi had screeched to a halt and the girls had begun to climb in, Agyness almost laughed in disbelief. She knew that fashionistas and the Irish could be pushy, but she now thought that the combination of the two could be lethal.



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Draco had apparated into a dark Dublin alley, and in the distance he could see a nearby street; a taxi had just zoomed away. The smell of week-old garbage, urine, and dead cat permeated his surroundings. “Filthy Micks,” He muttered as he placed his hand over his nose and began to walk out of the dank alleyway. He made it onto the sidewalk and stopped under the glow of a streetlamp. He looked left and right, staring into the passenger seats of each passing car. “Bloody Potter,” He had slapped his forehead with his palm for what had felt like the trillionth time today. “Where’s that stag when you need it?”

Knowing that standing in solitude would be futile, Draco made his way down the sidewalk, kicking aside occasional pebbles with vigor when they were in his way and sidestepping a middle-aged streetwalker as she tried to call his attention. If Potter somehow knew how she was in Dublin, then why couldn’t he have given Draco a bit more information on her exact location? But this was no time to wonder why or how Harry knew that Agyness was here. This was the time to begin the hunt. Draco wasn’t sure how limited his time was.

Brilliant! Just brilliant! The photo doesn't add anything as far far as I can see, you don't really need it as your writing is so strong, but did you have to choose Peaches? She's irritating!

Thanks for your compliments.

Sorry, she fit the description. She's not in the tabloids here in the US, but I think I know people's general opinion of her. X3

Also, sorry for the short length. School needs to die!

She's just ugh

I'll take short over nothing at all I love this story.

I sooo agree with that, school should die. Die down, at least

Nice chappie, very pleasant and enjoyable! Now... when is Draco going to find Agyness?