Draco Malfoy was feeling relaxed tonight. It was such a strange, foreign feeling to him that at first he was unnerved by it. He had spent almost all of the past year feeling frightened, frustrated, angry, threatened, and tired. His muscles were in a constant state of tightness, always at the ready, knowing that at any moment he could be called upon to defend his own life or that of his family's.
But tonight...it was as if every cell in his body was breathing a small sigh of relief. He knew that it wasn't permanent, that all of the fear would be back before he knew it. The Dark Lord had left the manor to attend to a matter far away, and although his Aunt Bella remained behind, Draco knew that if he just stayed out of her way he would be fine. He was currently in the family room with his parents, all of them quietly enjoying the warm fire and the temporary, but welcome, absence of the Dark Lord in their home and lives.
"Tell me something about school." Narcissa asked, and it seemed to Draco that she was searching for something normal to talk about. He shrugged.
"Not much to tell. Things are definitely different with the Carrows running the show."
"Different good or different bad?" Narcissa prodded. Lucius looked up and narrowed his eyes. Draco knew that his father didn't think much of the Carrows and disliked the idea of them teaching his son.
Draco paused a moment while he considered his next words. He didn't really want to tell his parents how bad things actually were at Hogwarts. It would just make them worry, and there was nothing any of them could do. Just like Narcissa and Lucius had to live in the same house as the Dark Lord day after day, he had to endure what was happening at his school. It wasn't as if the Carrows bothered him, but in order to stay out of the spotlight, he had had to do terrible things to his classmates, things he was ashamed of...
"It's fine." He told him mother, and they both knew he was lying. Narcissa frowned, and Draco knew that she wasn't going to let it go. He looked at his father for help, but Lucius just averted his gaze, defeat evident in all of his features.
At that moment, a gentle chime sounded through the room. "Saved by the bell." Draco murmured under his breath, and he thought he saw a half smile cross his father's face before fading. Distracted, Narcissa waved her wand to see who had set off the wards at the front gate. A hazy picture filled the room, and Draco felt his heart skip a beat as he recognized Fenrir Greyback among the crowd of people. Narcissa closed her eyes, and Draco knew that she was sensing that their relaxing evening was about to change. Lucius got up and put a hand on her arm.
"It's just the Snatchers, Cissa. But why have they come here..." He speculated aloud. His question was answered a moment later when Greyback's voice resounded through the room.
"Potter! We have Potter!" Narcissa gasped and turned to face Lucius. Draco watched his father's face change from disbelief to delight as he waved his wand, hand shaking, to remove the wards and let the Snatcher party enter. Draco's mind was racing. After all of these months on the run, after escaping from the Dark Lord himself would Potter really let himself be caught be Greyback? It didn't make sense. But as the triumphant group pushed their way into the sitting room, Draco saw that they did have four prisoners, two of which he certainly recognized...
"My son is home from school for the Easter holiday!" Narcissa was saying excitedly. "He will know if this is Potter! Draco, come here!" Draco did not move any closer. He did not want to get near the terrified group of prisoners, did not want to have to be the one to identify them. Grayback pulled one of the prisoners forward and positioned him under the chandelier.
"Well, boy?" he rasped.
"Well, Draco?" said Lucius impatiently. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"
"What's happened to his face?" Narcissa asked the Snatchers. Draco allowed himself a quick glance, and noticed that the dark haired boy's face was swollen beyond recognition.
"It wasn't us, Ma'am. He was like this when we found him." One of the Snatchers spoke up.
"Looks like a stinging hex to me." Lucius observed. He then looked pointedly at Draco, who looked down and shrugged.
"I can't...I can't be sure."
Frustrated, Lucius said "Just think Draco...if we are the ones to hand over Potter, all will be forgiven..." He stopped when Draco looked directly at his father.
"But isn't this the Granger girl? Yes, I remember her from Madame Malkin's!" Narcissa was saying. Draco looked at the only girl in the group, and felt his heart constrict. She looked frightened and had numerous scrapes on her face, but it was definitely Granger. He had never seen her look like this, and suddenly he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"I...maybe...yeah." He answered quietly, causing his father to once again implore him to positively identify the members of the group.
"What is this? What's happened, Cissy?" The voice came from the far doorway, and seconds later, Bellatrix swept into the room. Draco saw the group visibly start at the sight of her, and try to pull in closer together. He didn't blame them, he was sure that he knew even more than they did how dangerous and unstable his aunt really was. Bellatrix walked slowly around the prisoners, and then came to a stop in front of Hermione. "But surely," she said quietly, "this is the Mudblood girl? This is Granger?"
"Yes, yes, it's Granger!" cried Lucius. "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!" Draco closed his eyes, knowing that his father was fearful of the Dark Lord's wrath and desperate to get back on his good side. He rubbed his forehead and tried not to listen as Bellatrix and Lucius began to argue over who was going to summon the Dark Lord. He felt his mother grow tense beside of him. Then there was a flash of light, and Bellatrix was screaming angrily. Draco looked up and saw the Snatchers unconscious on the floor and Greyback on his knees in front of Bellatrix. She was holding a sword, face pale.
"Where did you get this sword?" she whispered to Greyback as she pulled his wand out of his unresisting grip.
"How dare you?" he snarled, his mouth the only thing that could move as he was forced to gaze up at her. "Release me, woman!"
"Where did you find this sword?" she repeated, voice becoming increasingly dangerous.
"It was in their tent, " rasped Greyback. "Release me, I say!" Draco was unable to look away, he knew that Greyback's death was inevitable. To his surprise, Bellatrix waved her wand and he sprang to his feet. As if he knew that he had been strangely spared, Greyback moved quickly out of her way and crouched behind an armchair. Bellatrix turned to face Draco, her eyes wild.
"Draco, move this scum outside," she said, indicating the unconscious men. "If you haven't the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."
"Don't you dare speak to Draco like..." Narcissa said furiously, but Bellatrix interrupted her.
"Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!" Draco tried to catch his mother's eyes, but she shook her head slightly and then gestured toward the men on the floor. Shaking, Draco used his wand to levitate their prone bodies and moved them toward the door. As he was leaving, he heard Bellatrix, voice laden with uncharacteristic fear, order Greyback to take the prisoners to the cellar with the exception of Hermione.
Draco felt as though he were going to be sick. He quickly deposited the men in the yard, and then said the spell that would allow them to wake up. They sat up and looked around, disoriented.
"Get out of here." Draco hissed at them, keeping his wand leveled at their heads. "If you're still here if Bellatrix decides to come looking, you're dead." Scabior and his companions did not need to be told twice. They scrambled to their feet and ran out of the yard without looking back. Draco swallowed hard, hoping that Bellatrix would forget about them. He supposed he could tell her that he had transfigured their dead bodies and Vanished them far away...he made himself picture it in his head, went over each step in case his aunt didn't believe him and tried to search his mind.
The sound of screaming distracted him, and he hurried back into the house. Narcissa was still standing by the couch, horror etched on to each feature. Bellatrix was holding her wand over Hermione, who was screaming in pain as she was Cruciated. Almost involuntarily, Draco's hand gripped his wand tighter and he started to raise his arm.
"What do you think you're doing?" Narcissa whispered. "She'll kill you..." Draco knew that she was right, but he could not let this happen...he knew Hermione. He couldn't explain the feelings rushing through him at that moment. He hated Granger...or did he? He suddenly would have given anything to see her smile with that arrogant know-it-all look she always had in school. He could hear Weasley screaming her name from below them in the cellar. He had to act...and then Hermione sobbed that the sword was a fake.
"A copy?" screeched Bellatrix. "Oh, a likely story!"
"But we can find out easily!" came Lucius's voice, ever helpful. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!" Draco nodded, once, and headed over to the stairs. He was grateful that at the moment, Bellatrix wasn't torturing Hermione anymore. He took a deep breath as he reached the door, knowing that Potter and Weasley were terrified and desperate.
"Stand back. Line up against the back wall. Don't try anything, or I'll kill you!" He hoped that they wouldn't be able sense that it was an empty threat. He waited a moment, and then unlocked the door. He marched inside, wand held out in front of him. Draco saw the goblin, and grabbed his arm. He moved backward, never taking his eyes off of the people against the wall. He had to think of something, and soon...