Ghostly Curse

Ch 11

Ch 11 - Facing Demons

“I could hear you when you entered my room. I knew you were both there and discussing what might wake me. But it was like I was trapped in a fog that I couldn’t find my way out of.” Draco paused in his story to look longingly at Angelina, who held his hand as if she were terrified some unseen monster might come and tear him away. “Except when she would come to me.” He smiled and placed a kiss on her palm. “Whenever she dreamed, I would be swept away to whatever world she was in.”

Lucius stood beside Hermione, his frame offering her a safe break from Severus’ mutinous stare. He was listening to his son, but very aware of Severus’ behavior. The man was acting nonchalant except every time he made eye contact with Hermione, his expression would turn to one of calculated rage. Sending Severus yet another warning glare, he asked Draco, “Was there no one there? Did no one before Angelina make any kind of contact with you?”

Draco turned from Angelina and gave his father a sad look. “Aunt Bellatrix, when she first damned me to the sleep came to me and told me that it was nothing personal.” He shook his head. “She insisted that you had to be punished for your disloyalty to the Dark Lord.” He rolled his eyes. “If she wasn’t trying to do me in, I’d hate to see what she’d have done if she had known that I’d turned disloyal as well.”He fell silent for a moment and then added, “And Mum came… Once. She told me that your body has been hidden in plain sight.” He shrugged. “Whatever that means.”

Hermione stepped forward. “Did she say where? Is it someplace we haven’t looked yet?”

Draco gave Hermione a once over and considered being tacky just for old times, but decided against it when he saw the look on his father’s face. Instead, he inclined his head, thinking.

“It’s been a while, Granger. I’ve been stuck in that limbo for a few years now. It’s a wonder I even know how to walk anymore.” He was running his fingers through Angelina’s hair as if reassuring himself that she was really there.

Finally, he looked back to Hermione with a stunned expression. “Have you looked in the statue room?”

Hermione gave him a baffled look. “Where’s that?”

Draco dropped his jaw before turning to look at Lucius with a smirk. “You haven’t checked the statue room? You must be joking, right?” He stood up and grabbed Angelina’s hand, pulling her along with him.

Lucius shrugged. “It never occurred to me to check there.” He muttered. When Hermione turned with raised eyebrows in question he had the decency to look flabbergasted. “What? There’s nothing there but lots of naked statues--”As soon as the words left his mouth, his face turned sour. “Oh! It would be just like that bitch to pose me naked for any future tenant to gawk at!”

He moved to follow his son but side-stepped quickly to once again block Hermione from Snape’s path. “Don’t even think it!” He growled at Severus angrily as he took Hermione’s hand to pull her along with him as he concentrated on keeping himself solid.

Perplexed by Lucius’ strange behavior, but not missing the angry glares her ex-husband had been sending in her direction, Hermione reminded herself to ask Lucius what they were all about later. For now, she would be happy just to find her lover’s body.

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When they reached the room in question, Hermione was amazed to see all the statues posed in different sexual position. Some where couples, engaged in different acts of foreplay. Others were actually in the act of making love.

Some were pleasuring themselves in different ways. Some in ways Hermione had never dreamt of. She wondered if some of those things were even possible. Blushing deeply, she buried her head on Lucius’ shoulder. “Out of curiosity, why do you have a room like this?”