lomonaaeren: (Default)
lomonaaeren ([personal profile] lomonaaeren) wrote2008-03-15 02:12 pm

Chapter Five of 'Changing of the Guard'- The Dance



Thanks again for all the reviews!

I’m afraid I still can’t say how long this story will be.

Chapter Five—The Dance

Harry knew this dance would be something special the moment they began.

He’d danced the Estival before, with people he’d been hired to escort, with attendees at parties where he’d been the bodyguard or the token dark, handsome stranger, and by himself when he’d played an entertainer for a witch who wanted her dance to be the talk of the season. He knew the steps. He knew where the music unexpectedly changed, bubbling like a fountain, imitating the sudden rise of summer out of spring, and where it slowed down again like the descent of long, lazy summer evenings.

But knowing was one thing, and knowing was another.

Draco’s body knew the dance. He moved with perfection, and yet the perfection wasn’t mechanical, the kind of stance that Harry tended to fall into whenever he had to portray a dancing persona. He always held his arms the correct distance from each other, but it seemed a natural coincidence they fell where they did. When he clasped Harry close and whirled in a circle, it seemed to happen because he wanted to do it, not because the dance called for it.

Harry, half-breathless already, felt his joy and his magic surge and blend together, lending extra force to his muscles. Draco demanded the best effort from him, and Harry gave it willingly.

It was necessary for the deception, he told himself, meeting Draco’s eyes and nearly laughing aloud at the warm calculation he saw there. Draco needed someone who could complement him, so that was what he should have.

And if ever Harry’s mask was going to fall off—which it would not, because he would be so cautious to prevent it—it would not be whilst he was dancing.

*

Draco did indeed learn much about Brian by watching him dance. But the messages were so thick and came so fast that he had to divert part of his attention from the Estival to comprehend them.

And he didn’t want to do that. There was a current of energy flowing between them that demanded focus. Draco found himself tempted, for the first time in a long time, to simply fall into the moment and enjoy it without considering what lay beyond—to move as if they had no audience.

He could not, but he regretted that he could not. So he sacrificed a shade of the artistry with which he would have liked to dance in order to study Brian. From the wide, amazed eyes fixed on him, Draco doubted Brian noticed that Draco’s performance was not actually his best.

Brian was responding to Draco. He could have danced this by himself, but not as well. Draco could see that in the slightly harsh turns his wrists sometimes made, as if he had to consciously remind himself where they went. It resembled the care taken over a language by someone who wasn’t a native speaker.

He did say that he had studied pure-blood culture, and wasn’t born to it natively.

He also didn’t have the flair for keeping track of two different audiences at once that Draco did. His gaze almost always stayed on Draco, and solely on Draco. He was performing for their audience only because Draco was, and he could follow in his footsteps.

That could be a problem. Or maybe it’s only a result of that Gryffindor-like instinct he’s demonstrated so far. If he can throw my parents and wizarding society off-balance, I don’t care if he does it in exactly the way I do. Of course, I’ll have to compensate for any weaknesses that come up with his method.

Draco kicked into a high, hard turn, one that required Brian to turn at the same time and come around at precisely the same moment to lock his hand in Draco’s. It was the first true test of any partners performing the Estival. Up until that point, they had traded the lead rather than acting in the same way simultaneously.

Draco felt curiosity bubbling in his throat, thick as stew. Would Brian manage this? And would it be more interesting to see him succeed or fail? Whatever happened, Draco was sure it would not be disastrous. Brian was too good for that.

And so am I.

His hand swung around—and warm fingers clasped his, then slid to his wrist, even as Draco clasped Brian’s in return. Startled, he met Brian’s gaze and only then realized he had anticipated failure instead of success. Brian winked at him and fell into the next part of the dance, this one requiring a long series of three-quarter steps—three steps sideways and one forwards, or three beats of dancing with their profiles towards one another and one beat of facing. Draco narrowed his eyes, almost daring to squint and make his face appear sour to anyone watching in order to be sure of what he was seeing.

Yes.

Brian was dancing better than he had been before they completed their spin. His movements were just a little more natural, and he didn’t keep his gaze exclusively on Draco. It was as though he had already begun to learn from Draco how someone born to pure-blood culture performed the Estival, and no longer needed as much help.

If he could learn that fast, if he was not simply remembering a skill that had grown rusty…

Draco felt a tightness in his groin and a dryness in his mouth. He could not have said whether caution or excitement was the uppermost emotion in his mind by the time they turned through a final measure and the dance ended.

There was no applause, of course, save for that to be found in the quick sound of their own breathing and the rustle of their robes that moved with it. But then Brian flicked his eyes past Draco’s head, and Draco saw his father stalking towards him with a face like a stormcloud, and he could name the emotion uppermost in him after all.

Glee.

*

As they had agreed, Harry left Draco to his father’s tender mercies whilst he leaned back against a wall and waited for Narcissa. Other people glanced at him, and certainly gossiped about him, if the muted hum of busy voices was any indication. But no one approached him, until Draco’s mother slipped around them like a deer and came to a halt in front of Harry, staring at him. Harry could read wariness and confusion behind her eyes. She was less certain than she had been that Draco had brought a man simply to anger his parents, because Brian danced too well for Draco to have selected him by chance.

That, of course, was the direction Draco wanted his parents’ suspicions to tend in, Harry knew. If they once suspected this were a deception, the whole point would be ruined. So Harry held out his hands to the sides, performing a deep, formal bow that once would have been used to claim hospitality of the pure-blood mistress of a manor house, and then drew out the gift from his robes that would pay for that hospitality.

Narcissa uttered a cry in spite of herself, like a snared little bird, though she quickly cut it off. Her hands trembled as she accepted the gift and held it up to the light. Harry watched her with a small, anxious half-smile on his face; Brian would want to know whether his gift passed muster with a woman who had good reason to be picky.

It was a golden oval, studded here and there with faint scarlet traceries and blue jags like the shadows of flames. They might have been painted on, but if so, the colors were richer than anything found in the normal run of palettes.

As it happened, they hadn’t been painted on. This was a phoenix egg, hollowed of its contents and preserved with charms so it wouldn’t crumble the first time a hand touched it. Harry had found it in an old Muggle antique shop. The Muggle thought he was selling some miniature ostrich egg and had no idea of its true value, so Harry had got it relatively cheaply.

It was not a cheap gift, however, and from the bewildered look Narcissa was giving him over the top of the egg, she must not have imagined how he could afford it.

“I—Mr. Montgomery, this is a princely gift,” Narcissa said, and seemed to get some of her breath back. She lowered the egg to rest against her waist. “More than I could have expected when I was welcoming a new friend of Draco’s into the house.”

Harry, opening his mouth to agree, saw the trap in the words just in time.

“Not only friend,” he murmured, and shifted to lean his weight more heavily against the wall. He could be very formal with his gifts and his words, but his posture wouldn’t improve until he was sure that he was welcome here. He knew Narcissa would see that as the subtle rebellion it was. Indeed, her nostrils were already pinching shut, as though to shut out an offensive smell. “Partner and lover, as Draco announced to you.”

Narcissa uttered a laugh that might have passed muster if Harry hadn’t been listening very closely for the edge of despair in it. “Mr. Montgomery, you must understand that until today, I had no idea my son liked men.”

Harry straightened and opened Brian’s eyes very wide. “Are you sure, Mrs. Malfoy? He told me he had tried to offer you hints, even as he kept our relationship secret out of thoughtfulness’s sake. He finally chose this drastic method because he thought it the only way of proving he meant what he said.”

Narcissa’s face drained of color. Harry supposed she was remembering the hints Draco had tried to offer her in the past, and perhaps taking them seriously for the first time. He was glad. Though he didn’t like the sight of a woman like Narcissa in pain, if she could take some of the blame on herself, Draco’s relationship with her would be easier to repair in the future.

“I—“ Narcissa cleared her throat. “Draco is a Malfoy,” she said firmly. “He knows how things work. I would not have objected to discreet affairs on the side, as long as he kept them discreet.” She turned eyes that shone like nails on Harry. “And because you obviously have familiarity with our manners, Mr. Montgomery, I would have expected you to remind him if he slipped. Why did you not discourage this plan the moment he thought it up?”

She assumes it was all Draco’s plan. Good. The last thing Harry wanted was Lucius or Narcissa thinking Brian was clever or dangerous. They had to see Draco as the motive force behind this in order to respect him and not convince themselves their poor son had been tricked and deluded by the lover he was infatuated with.

“I have remained quiet and secret for a long time,” Harry said softly. “But I was tired of it. And when Draco decided that he had to make the announcement—“ He looked towards Draco and conjured a good expression of hopeless love, one he’d practiced in the mirror at Metamorphosis until it looked right. “Could you have refused him, do you think, if you were in my position?”

Narcissa recoiled. “I will never be in your position,” she said, and her voice had gone frosty.

Harry gave her a gentle look, and leaned forwards. This was not exactly the strategy that Draco had outlined to him the first time they met, but then again, the moves he expected of his parents had changed the moment Narcissa went to confront Harry instead of allowing Lucius to do so first. “We both are in the same position, Mrs. Malfoy,” he said. “We both love Draco.”

“A man who loved him would not permit this,” Narcissa said. She moved the word man around in her mouth as if it were a toenail-flavored Every Flavour Bean. “He is making a fool of himself.”

“Is he?” Harry moved his head so he could rake his eyes over the people in the room. Most of them were still talking in small clusters, but some had moved to the dance floor. None of them really looked at Draco and Lucius. Their glances, when they gave any, were reserved for Narcissa and Brian. Harry barely resisted the temptation to nod in satisfaction. “I don’t see that. I’m the unknown here, the one who runs the greater risk. It will take some time yet for Draco to lose the respect of the people here, if he ever does.” Anyone who paid attention to Draco’s business practices and the way he could read people would continue to respect him no matter what his parents thought, Harry knew. They might think of him as disgusting, but they would not underestimate him. “Draco wanted to do this, Mrs. Malfoy, and I have faith in him to have accurately predicted the consequences. He’s decided he can live with them. Who am I to question that decision?”

“Who are you indeed?” Narcissa speared him with a glance. “I would feel much more confident if I knew more about you.”

Harry smiled and spread his hands. “My past is an open book, Mrs. Malfoy.” Quite literally.

“Who were your parents?” Narcissa demanded. She was moving more openly and aggressively than Harry had thought she would, but then, she had been badly shocked, and no one had come close enough to hear them yet.

“My father was a Muggle. Daniel Montgomery.” Harry wanted to laugh in spite of himself at the way Narcissa contracted into herself, as if Muggle heritage were something one could catch. All pure-bloods were ridiculous about that, really. No matter how interesting Harry found their culture and how much sympathy he had with the plight of their gay sons and lesbian daughters, he would never see how they could simultaneously believe dirty blood was inherent to certain people and act as if it would infect them. “My mother was a witch named Emma Handler who ran away from her people at a young age.”

“Pure-blood?” Narcissa rapped out.

“Of course.” Harry met her gaze calmly. One Handler family in wizarding England had died out entirely, running into an advanced age with no young children left. The other had moved to Ireland ages ago and somehow got mixed up with the Troubles in Northern Ireland; apparently they were strong Catholics. Either way, Narcissa would not find it easy to trace and disprove Brian’s claim. Harry had made sure of that before he chose the name of Handler.

“That my son would sink to dirtying himself with a half-blood,” Narcissa said. Whether Harry was meant to hear it, he wasn’t sure.

Brian would not have remained silent on hearing it, though, so he leaned forwards and scowled ferociously. “That’s Draco’s choice,” he said. “Of course you have to care about it, but you can’t expect me to stand here and not object.”

Narcissa’s eyes glowed with a spark of anguish for a moment before she bowed her head to hide it. Then she held out a hand. “Perhaps you would favor me with a dance now, Brian?” she asked, casting a glance at the dance floor. “I do not think this song is as lively as the Estival, but one must be able to move to more than one measure.”

Harry took her hand, admiring the way she had had tried to deflect him from her hostility. Her use of his first name could be read as a tacit apology for the remark about half-bloods, instead of the lulling of him she hoped to make it into.

He had to admire her motivation, too. She did not care so much about her public embarrassment as she did about Draco’s, and if she could show him that his new partner was unfit for him, she could separate them with less pain for her son.

“With pleasure, madam,” he said, and kissed the back of her hand. Narcissa loosed a tiny, trembling breath, and then fixed a smile on her face and led him to the floor.

It was a long waltz that Harry knew perfectly well, and he disappointed Narcissa by likewise dancing it perfectly, and seeming to enjoy himself.

*

“Father,” Draco said, with the calm coolness that Lucius had taught him in their dealings together.

Already the anger had vanished from his father’s expression. Lucius nodded and raised a hand. A house-elf appeared next to him, bowed, and handed over a glass full of the mixed juices of rare fruits that Lucius had recently taken a liking to.

Draco laughed silently to himself. Lucius was showing off how much command he had over the house, subtly reminding his son that he still controlled the property Draco would inherit someday. But his mask was not perfect. If he had wanted to express true confidence, he would have ordered wine.

But that would be a gesture of foolish bravado in this case, and Lucius knew that, and Draco knew he knew that, and Lucius probably knew that he knew that Lucius knew. So fruit juice it would be, and a crack in the façade.

His father didn’t say anything for long moments, simply sipping at the fruit juice and closing his eyes at the taste. When Draco had been younger, tactics like that had frustrated him incredibly. Now he waited for Lucius to speak, his gaze as distant and calm and faintly amused as he really felt.

Lucius gave up on waiting for him to speak first after perhaps two minutes. “You realize that I can’t allow this to continue, Draco,” he said.

Draco quickly changed his notion of how much his father really knew him. Lucius thought of Draco as a copy of himself, yes, but Draco had had no idea that Lucius still thought him responsive to threats. Draco hadn’t been that cowardly in a long time, and his father was a good enough player to notice. So he hadn’t allowed himself to notice, because there would have been no reason to use a tactic this clumsy if he hadn’t expected it to work.

“I realize that you think that, yes,” Draco said, “and that you would never forgive yourself if you didn’t comment on it.”

Lucius’s gaze came too quickly to him, flickering, sharp. There had been a time when Draco had lain awake at night in a cold sweat, dreading to attract that gaze. But that time had passed.

He was thirty years old today. Really, he ought to have claimed more independence than he had. So far, running his own business and conducting his love affairs in private had been enough for him. But now he was striking out on his own, and Lucius must be brought to realize that by force.

“You do not know what you will do to your mother if you continue to press this lover of yours on the world.”

Draco was amazed. Still threats? Well, unless this was a long-term strategy of Lucius’s—and Draco thought he would have noticed if his father was planning something like that—he might as well hit hard during this moment of weakness.

“I know exactly what I will be doing,” Draco said. “I watched her face when Ernie Macmillan was suspected of cheating on his wife with another man.” The rumor had not been true, but it had taken Macmillan more than two years of stiffly upright behavior to remove the tarnish from his name. Really, rumors of one’s sexual orientation had become one of the blunter political weapons in the wizarding world since the war. A means the older generation used to control the younger, Draco thought in disgust. People like his father always had believed too much in control, rather than allying with the powerful men and women growing up under them and ensuring they carried the older generation’s ideals forwards into the future.

He fell silent, watching his father’s face, letting Lucius absorb the implications. Draco knew about the damage he would inflict on Narcissa, and that was not enough to stop him.

Lucius growled under his breath. “Do you know what damage you will be doing to the family name?”

“Oh,” Draco breathed. “Yes.”

He had to be careful, he knew; he had to be delicate. He must not let his father suspect that he wanted to be disowned. So he put a bit of glee but a lot of challenge into his tone, as much to say that he wanted to take the Malfoy name away from Lucius and stamp his own signet on it.

Lucius tightened all through his body, like a slamming gate. He nodded once, his eyes fastened on Draco, then flicked his gaze towards the corner where Narcissa was still talking to Brian. Brian didn’t look at all bothered, flustered, or worried. Draco felt another small squirming of happiness in the bottom of his gut. He put it politely aside before it could show on his face.

“A young man,” Lucius said, “of no family. He is at least a half-blood, perhaps a Mudblood.”

“His father was Muggle,” Draco said, vastly amused. Didn’t Lucius realize he would have made sure of his lover’s heritage long before now? “His mother was a pure-blood witch of once good family, now sunken. I suppose I might have partially chosen him out of a sense of nostalgia.”

Lucius stiffened still further at the covert reference to the Dark Lord. “Rich, I suppose?” he said.

“Oh, no,” Draco said, and this time gilded the top of his tone with disappointment, so that his father would fall right into the trap, and try to bribe Brian.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and said, “Such a failure of taste, Draco. One could condemn you for that, if for nothing else.” And he turned towards the dance floor, as if bored of the conversation. Brian was dancing with Narcissa now, Draco saw, keeping the steps flawlessly.

Lucius had already made a subtle signal to one of his friends near the front of the muttering crowd. The friend had two daughters just out of Hogwarts. They were to be his distractions, Draco knew, people he could not comfortably ignore for fear of offending good marriage prospects, whilst his father approached Brian alone and tried to intimidate him. Perhaps Narcissa would face him at the same time, and add tearful pleadings to Lucius’s quiet offers. His parents worked well together, Draco thought. He had watched their buried love and their trust in each other act to control the social circles in which the Malfoys moved for years.

He allowed only a slight tremor of disquiet to trouble his mind as he turned to the Moonstone family. He had not prepared Brian to encounter both his parents at once.

Then he had to smother a grin.

On the other hand, nothing had prepared his parents to encounter Brian.

Chapter 6.

[identity profile] severkarogueova.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw, I'm so glad you updated so soon. Don't worry about the length, the longer, the better. Love this story very much. Please, update soon again...

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

I don't think I'll get complaints about the length, but there were some people wanting to know when the story would be finished as they don't read WiP's. Unfortunately, I have no idea.

[identity profile] kawanale.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Hah, "Eruption Malfoy" is simmering. Very nicely written chapter. Looking forward to the next one.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

Chapter 6 will be fun for many reasons.

[identity profile] javvie.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
MORE! That was the first thing I thought of. The fic has a nice pace.XD Can't wait for the next update. :)

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much!

[identity profile] thesurlycat.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
And nothing has prepared *me* to encounter such a Harry, a Draco, a Malfoy family! I've just read the last three chapter and now I'll be very prim and proper and ask "May I have more, pretty please?"
I'm friending you, if it's not a problem, so I'll never have to face the doubt "Have I miss an update?"

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks! And sure, you can have another "serving" on Tuesday. :)

And no, not a problem at all.

[identity profile] ura-hd.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Poor Narcissa. I feel sorry for her.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
I'm trying to make her sympathetic, but I don't have much sympathy for her myself, having known too many parents of friends who try to deny their children's sexual orientation with tears.

(no subject)

[identity profile] ura-hd.livejournal.com - 2008-03-17 18:01 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] tray-la-la.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
oooh, so excited for the next one!

i love the portrait of pure blood culture you're depicting--everything is so nuanced and laced with layers of meaning.

draco and harry's thought processes as they deal with draco's parents are so compelling. so strategic.

great chapter!

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

I'm not sure if pure-blood culture in general is this subtle, or just Lucius and Draco. After all, Lucius could be more in control if he could keep Draco off-balance.

Harry really is the best choice Draco could have made for partner on this venture, even if he doesn't know it. The way they think is perfect.

[identity profile] bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Great chapter. So fun to see the politics at play. Though a part of me can't help thinking it will be even more fun watching Lucius and Narcissa come to terms with Harry Potter as Draco's partner and lover!

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

True, but first Draco would have to come to terms with it.

[identity profile] damedbx.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
hello! copied n pasted...yet again! Cannot wait to read this!

(no subject)

[identity profile] damedbx.livejournal.com - 2008-03-18 21:49 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] obruo.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
I've read a lot of your work but this one is quickly becoming my favourite. I appreciate the focus you place on how Harry and Draco actually become HarryandDraco. It feels organic, it feels IC and I'm generally left believing that it could have stood in place of the epilogue.

Also, I've friended you which I'm hoping is alright :)

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

I'm really glad you like the process of getting there. I have to have something like that in H/D stories, even if only in flashback, because they are so different in canon and there are so many roads, but not obvious ones, they could take to get to coupledom.

And friending me is fine.

[identity profile] firedraygon97.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 09:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Fruit juice!! Hahaha, I love how Lucius enjoys his fruit juice so casually.

Lovely chapter. Harry finding that phoenix egg piece is really amusing. You never know what kind of treasures you'll find in an antique shop.

Looking forward to 'Brian' vs. Lucius and Narcissa. Please write more soon!

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

I suspect Harry goes trolling through antique shops regularly to find the perfect props for his roles. :)

Next chapter will be posted on Tuesday.

[identity profile] ecac1.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Pins and needles!

Pins and needles!!

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Good!

[identity profile] raphsody606.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Make this as loooong as you like darlin. I'm loving this story.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

I still don't know how long it will be, but probably, considering the pace so far and the depth of detail- I didn't plan the party scene to be this long in the original conception- it might be around 45-50 chapters.

[identity profile] aubergineautumn.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I've always liked the group and more complicated formal dances of England, the dances you describe in this chapter sound similar

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

[identity profile] ravenqueen55.livejournal.com 2008-03-15 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Excellent, as always. Can't wait for the meeting between Lucius, Narcissa, and 'Brian'. Should be fun.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

How well "Brian" will handle himself in front of them remains to be seen.

(Anonymous) 2008-03-16 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
This is so tasty! It's like an open box of chocolates sitting in front of me, smelling so good, and the anticipation of the boys finally getting together is as sweet and painful as not eating said chocolate!

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

"Getting together" in one sense happens in the next chapter. In another sense, not for a long time.
megyal: (draco malfoy [is above your station])

[personal profile] megyal 2008-03-16 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
I would pay a lot of money to see them dance that dance. The last line of this installment was shiver-inducing.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

And so would I, actually. I made the Estival's pertinent details up; I don't know what it looks like, but would love to.

[identity profile] sajmalfoy13.livejournal.com 2008-03-16 09:49 am (UTC)(link)
I really love the originality of this fic and cant wait for more!! Soon please!
:)

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

More on Tuesday.

[identity profile] biohazard-x502.livejournal.com 2008-03-16 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
ah too short! too short! I am loving this story! I can't wait for the next chapter. :)

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks very much!

[identity profile] snottygrrl.livejournal.com 2008-03-16 11:53 am (UTC)(link)
so happy to see this update. [*wiggles with excitement*]

i almost feel sorry for narcissa, though i wonder if she'll come to love 'brian' as much as her son will. she seems ass if she could.

the dance was beautifully written. ♥

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

Narcissa might feel capable of loving 'Brian' if she thought he could make Draco happy. At the moment, she's very much not convinced of that.

[identity profile] astartes-amazon.livejournal.com 2008-03-16 01:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I just have a quick question, do you read other fanfic? If so, are you inclined to make recs? Because I've found in the past, that really good writers usually have really good stories on their 'favourites' list, and I'd be interested to see what sort of thing you enjoy.
&hearts

Wonderful chapter, as always, I have nothing but praise for your work.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
My main problem with reading other fanfic is that I'll get partway in and then get distracted, or start laughing at something, and not finish, and I don't feel comfortable recommending stories I haven't finished. But I do have some recs that I may post sooner or later.

And thanks!

[identity profile] elephantqueen25.livejournal.com 2008-03-16 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I do believe I'm in love with Brian. If Draco decides to go against his orginal plan can I have him? Please? *flutters eyelashes*

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe! Of course, Draco may decide not to have him anyway once he learns who 'Brian' really is.

[identity profile] lunasky3.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
luuuuving :D and eek! can sooo imagine the dance.... :D:D

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

[identity profile] grey-hunter.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 02:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Cool! I'm starting to think Harry has an unknown mutant ability to access random personality traits. :D

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-18 01:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

Harry is a quick study, and this is probably more of 'Brian's' personality emerging- or possibly his own, since he did often want to impress and beat Draco when he was younger.

[identity profile] verschreibsel.livejournal.com 2008-03-17 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Ohh I loved it. ^^
Please write more.

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-18 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I certainly will! The next chapter should be posted later today.

[identity profile] guardians-song.livejournal.com 2008-03-23 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
...I have no concrit, because this is too wonderful. Everything about it - "Brian", interaction with the Malfoy parents, the dance, EVERYTHING - ...guh. *standing ovation*

[identity profile] lomonaaeren.livejournal.com 2008-03-23 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you. Although, if you do find misspelled words, misplaced commas, etc., please feel free to comment.