Shadow Claw: The Life Story - The Fifth Chapter

Ch. 26 - Inability

I have caught up with the books once more! ^-^ I was about 100 pages behind, but the information I skipped over is all irrelevant, at least to my characters at this point. Enjoy!

Summer spread through the castle over the next month or two, and the sky's scorched darkness dissipated thoroughly, leaving the cerulean surface open to view. The atmosphere was jovial once more, except for the poisonous friendships that ran through the veins of my closes companions. Jenny passed her Apparition exam by the skin of her teeth, James quit through the term due to his worriedly severe panic attacks and his constant Splinching, while I... I failed.

I loitered below the old oak in the courtyard that had grown back its emerald leaves. I paced back and forth, back and forth... back and... forth...

I almost smacked into the tree, but regained balance, only to fall right over onto a rather malicious root. I shifted and paced once more, furiously frustrated with myself for being so damned stupid. Why now of all times?!

"You're pretty worked up." A boy half-sympathized. I whipped around, my ears flattened and my fangs bared.

It was Draco Malfoy.

"Get away from me, you turgid, obstinate boy." I snapped voraciously. He was unfazed by me, which surprised me - he was usually afraid of my hostility. Perhaps he didn't understand my rather exquisite vocabulary. "Did you not hear me, you Machiavellian human?!" I spat, raising my wings and lashing out with a sheathed paw - one swipe with my claws could shatter a whole side of ribs, but I did not fancy being responsible for my anger.

Again, he did not react.

He knew he was untouchable.

I snarled, pacing back and forth once more. "As long as Jenny and I are friends-"

"-I cannot lay a goddamn hair on you. Yes, I do know that. I am not ignorant." I quipped, my tail curling with my lip. He was a thorn in my paw, and he had to go, but as long as Jenny cared about him - even if they weren't dating - I had no claim to his dead body. I stalked around the courtyard, circling Malfoy suspiciously. I clicked and hissed curses in my Claw language, something that I rarely ever did - even James and Jenny could not comprehend it. Draco narrowed his eyes, but he still did not seem to fear me.

"What do you want, Draco?" I uttered bitterly after a small while of silence, perching on a low oak branch. My shoulders hunched over, and my wings settled carefully, but my snarl curled back under my muzzle. I became unreadable.

"I need your promise."

"What am I promising?"

"Jenny's protection."

I lowered my gaze, ashamed of the thoughts that surfaced, "What makes you think she doesn't have my protection?"

"Multiple things. Would you like me to name-"

I hissed like a domestic cat, "No, no! Get on with it!"

He smirked, but it was subtle, so I did not react. "If you promise me Jenny will have your protection, no matter the state of your friendship, or the situation at present, I shall give my all at persuading certain... people to leave the Claws alone." I narrowed my eyes, my snarl appearing once more. Was he talking about Death Eaters? Werewolves? Giants? I held back a shiver at the harsh thoughts of Snowy or Tobias getting bludgeoned to death with claws... and clubs... and the curses...

"Are you blackmailing me, Malfoy?" I accused, my claws flexing across the wood under-paw.

He folded his arms and dodged my question. "I need to know that you will Jenny no matter the circumstances, Shadow." He was serious, but he had a problem:

So was I.

I shifted and leapt from the branch, stalking my way over to him and coming face-to-face. "No. I shan't. She is not worth what she once was. You're a fool." I was blunt, rude and rather crude.

And I was a fool to underestimate him.

* * *

Jenny's POV

I looked to Draco for hope. "So? What did she say? Did you convince her?"

He sat down, his head in his hands.

He shook his head. "No." The word was only breathed.

I curled my fingers around my knee. "What are we going to do?"

Draco fixed his arms around me, and pulled me in close.

It felt wrong.

He felt wrong.

"Draco, stop-" I started, but he shoved me up against the wall with unnecessary force. He lip-locked me in a fearful kiss, but I played on with it, just so he wouldn't get angry with me.

Was this how Shadow felt with Shade? Was this a normal relationship? Did we know what we were doing?

(*cough* oblivious *cough*)

I kissed back hesitantly, my hands sort of splayed beside me. Draco forced his hands into my hair, breaking off the unnatural kiss with a determined glance, "I'm not sure, Jenny." He leant his head on my shoulder, breathing deeply.

"Harry's onto you." I said quietly, raising his attention. "He's realised Crabbe and Goyle have been taking Polyjuice Potion. I think they know about me and you, too... they don't see me sneak in but... what if Shadow finds out, Draco? And James? Or... Harry?" I shuddered. "They've threatened to tell your mother and the rest of the Death Eaters." I added, shaking my head and running my hands up and down his back.

"Shadow has a Dark Mark on her stomach." Draco uttered, looking to me for an answer. I sat down once more, pulling him carefully to my side and cradling his head in my lap. "When Shadow, James and I were locked in that attic, the Death Eaters came for us. Bellatrix, Fenrir... you name them, they were probably there. Shadow threw me into a small, trapdoor room, and I sat there for, oh Merlin knows how long, and listened to them torture James and Shadow. James was given the Dark Mark, to scar him forever, and he was inflicted with the werewolf genome, but Shadow's Dark Mark didn't form properly - I think it's because she's not human, but I doubt we can ever be sure - and she's just left with the ink. Inactive, dead... derelict, in a sense."

"Do you sometimes wish you could end it all, but you know it's the cowardly thing to do?" He changed the subject after digesting the information.

I stroked his hair, looking distantly into his eyes. "Draco, suicide isn't the coward's way out, but today, it isn't an option. You leave that sort of thinking to Shadow."