Flight of the Ferret
By NoRiskNoFun
Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned in here belong to J. K. Rowling, sadly.
Pairing: none
Raiting: suitable for all ages
Authors Notes: This is a post Half-Blood Prince story and my theory of what will happen to Draco.
Mistakes are possible for Im not a native speaker, please forgive me in that case. But I had it betaed. Thanks to my sister, Miss Bingley (who is not a native speaker either, but she studies English)!
This story also exists in German- theres already a sequel, too. I wrote this story a while ago and the sequel as well, additionally I planned the story line up to a certain point so I wasnt influenced by the real 7th book. If Im asked for a sequel in english, Ill translate :-)
What happened before: Harry spent the time until his 18th birthday at the Dursleys, then he, Ron and Hermione went to Godrics Hollow. There, they realize that one Horcrux is the silver locket they found in Siriuss house and travel there. After a day, they find it and the day after, they succeed in destroying it.
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione are just arguing about their next step when they are interrupted by none other than Draco Malfoy, who apparates into the living room of Number 12, Grimauld Place. But why is he here? Was he really sent here to spy on them by You-Know-Who, like Ron assumes, or is there something else behind it?
Sorry, for there are no apostrophes. Which I dont understand. If there is a secret how you get apostrophes, please tell me!
xXx
Harry, Ron and Hermione were seated in the first floor living room of Number 12, Grimauld Place, in London. Having destroyed the locket the previous day, Harry deemed it urgent to discuss their next move.
„Okay, all in all there are three down and four to go," said Ron. Harry sighed.
„Yeah. Thats our problem. I have no idea where we should find the first two and how to figure out what they are in the first place."
„So what do you propose?", asked Hermione. Harry sighed once more. He looked a little bit lost.
„Well, do you remember the Half-Blood Princes book?"
„Snapes book?" Hermione had that specific look on her face that she always had had when they had talked about that book back at Hogwarts. Harry looked at her for a moment before he answered.
„Yeah, Snapes book." He tried to restrain himself. Every time he thought about Snape and what hed done, Harry felt an enormous wave of hatred rising in himself. „Given the coming war, we need spells that work. And I figured this book might be the best way to find them. So I say, we go to Hogwarts, pick up the book and take it from there."
Ron looked pretty satisfied with the plan, but his expression was the exact opposite of Hermiones.
„Harry, I strongly disagree! I think we cannot do something and take it from there! We need a plan. We cant just rely on the -" But Hermione was interrupted by a loud pop. All three jerked back and stared in disbelief at the tall figure that had suddenly appeared in the living room they were sitting in.
None other then Draco Malfoy, the same Draco Malfoy that Harry had seen almost two months ago struggling to fulfil the task Lord Voldemort had given him, stood in front of them. Draco looked differently then when Harry had seen him for the last time. His uncommonly dishevelled hair wasn't sleek like usual, it was straggly and had lost all its shine. Dark shadows lay beneath his eyes and he looked more lost than Harry felt right now. Dracos clothes, long black hooded robes, were in slight disarray and torn in various places.
For half a minute or so, the three just stared at Draco without saying a word, each of them uncertain that what they were seeing was real.
„The look on your face right now is priceless, Potter," said Draco finally. „Id love to know your thoughts right now." But Harry, recovering from the shock, was able to speak again.
„Well, I wont be sharing them. Is there any reason for this pleasant surprise?" Harry intentionally stressed the word before last. Whatever Malfoy was doing here, Harry was sure it was nothing good. The most suitable conclusion was that Malfoy was sent to spy on them, and Harry wondered why he had not thrown Malfoy out right away.
„In fact, there is."
„Which would be?", asked Ron. Draco paused. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He knew that it would be difficult to bring Harry, Ron and Hermione to believe him, although his manner of arrival wasn't a great help. In the past few days, Draco had often thought about what to say in this situation, but right now, he didn't seem to recall any of that. Finally, he got himself to speak.
„I know that we didnt always see eye to eye -"
„Make that never," Ron threw in. Draco thought it was the best to pretend he hadn't heard.
„And I know that you don't trust me right now, and surely you want to shove me out of the door right away, but I insist that you listen to me."
„And why," answered Harry coldly, „should we bother to listen to you? Because I can't think of any reason and Im sure, neither can Ron and Hermione."
Draco was quiet again for a brief moment before he spoke up. „Because I ... need your help."
„What? You can't run to your father and beg him for help? You know, Malfoy, this seems a lot like a nasty plan of You-Know-Who, sending you to spy on us!"
„Weasley, I'm not here to spy upon you! I really wasn't sent here. No one even knows I'm here!"
„And why should we believe you again?" Harry, like Ron, was suspicious, although Harry remembered the scene in the Astronomy Tower, where Draco had almost unnoticeably dropped his wand.
Hermione hadn't said anything yet, her mind was racing as she watched Draco take a deep breath.
„I have no grounds for claiming that you believe me. But you can at least listen to me and then decide."
„I don't think we want to hear what you have to say, Malfoy!" spat Ron, but Hermione had noticed a hint of desperation in Draco's eyes. Harry was just about to open his mouth and say something, when Hermione cut him off.
„Ron, Harry, calm down for a moment. How much would it hurt you to listen to him for ten minutes?"
Ron looked at her in disbelief, but Harry, too, had noticed a hint of desperation in Draco's eyes, so he agreed. „Okay."
Ron seemed to think a nasty glare towards Draco was the only way to express his disagreement with the democratic decision. „But only ten minutes!"
Draco nodded and he seemed relieved in a way. „Thanks. I'll try to tell my story so that it will fit into ten minutes." He sat down on a spare armchair and started his story, obviously trying not to speak with his usual Malfoy tone.
„Well, I think I should start ... at the moment Dumbledore was murdered. Before he died, we had a long talk, I'm sure Harry has already told you that my orders had in fact been to kill Dumbledore. Well, he ..." Draco seemed to look for the right words for a moment. „He opened my eyes. Things that he said, it was like he'd taken the wooden board off my eyes my father had so firmly nailed on them. The days following, I started to question the Death Eaters moves and motives, I had never done that before ... I realized the Dark Lord's way isn't my way. I saw now that his assignment for me was just a way of getting to my father, he didn't expect me to succeed and as I didn't, I was ... punished. By him. The Dark Lord. After two weeks, I couldn't take it anymore, but I was too scared to make a move, and apart from that, I didn't know what to do anyway." There was another pause when Draco thought about what to say next. „A week ago, it all got too much, I decided to run away. Even if it meant to leave my mother behind. I had to." Draco opened his mouth and closed it again, as though he wanted to add something but decided in the last second not to. Harry wondered what it could be. He was sure, Draco left out a lot of details but Harry knew Voldemort well enough to know that they weren't pleasant.
„And you just decided to apparate to us and beg for help?", Ron required.
„I'm not begging." Draco replied and his old Malfoy tone shone through. „I'm asking for help."
„For me it still seems like begging."
„Think what you want, Weasley," Draco snapped.
„Why us? Why did you come to us?", Hermione asked. Draco sighed heavily.
„Because ... I didnt know where else to turn. I was passing through a Muggle village when you came to mind, Harry. I thought you are the only one that I could hope to get help from." Dracos grey eyes met Harry's green ones and Harry saw - he couldn't name it exactly - desperation? Exhaustion? Both and more? Dracos eyes seemed to tell the story Harry had just heard in a different way. He noticed sadness and an amount of hurt Harry had never imagined anyone to be able to bear. He remembered the long talk Draco had had with Dumbledore, how Draco had dropped his wand and wanted to surrender as the other Death Eaters arrived. In this second Harry realized that Draco was no spy, that he was telling nothing but the truth.
Harry, still holding Dracos gaze, responded: „And you will." Dracos tension lifted slightly. Hermione watched Harry closely and Ron burst out:
„Harry, are you thinking clearly? Apparently not! Hello, this is Draco Malfoy, your nemesis since you were eleven and Lucius Malfoys son and one of You-Know-Whos Death Eaters! He wears the Dark Mark! Don't you see this is an act? An act of You-Know-Who to get to you, or get you to him!"
„This is rather ... abrupt," Hermione admitted.
„I know." Harry replied. „But ... I saw him with Dumbledore, you know."
„Huh?" Draco exclaimed surprised. Harry turned to him.
„I was under the Invisibility Cloak and paralysed by Dumbledore, I witnessed everything."
„The second broom stick? Of course ..." Dracos voice faded and Harry carried on.
„Dumbledore really got to him. He dropped his wand, he surrendered, but a second later the other Death Eaters arrived. And look at him," he added more silently. „He looks so lost, that can't be an act. His eyes tell the truth."
Ron still seemed unconvinced, but Hermione eyed Draco closer.
„You must be hungry. And thirsty. Do you want some tea? And sandwiches?", Hermione asked softly. Draco looked at her in surprise.
„That would be very kind," he said.
„Okay, I'll be back shortly." Hermione rushed out of the living room to get down to the kitchen. Ron looked after her, a confused expression on his face that turned to anger in the next moment.
„One question: so we're going to help him, but how? Harry, we are already on top of all the Death Eaters most wanted lists, don't you think that would get even worse if they got to know that a fugitive from their ranks is with us? And in what way," Ron turned to Draco, „did you think we could possibly help you?"
Dracos expression hardened. „I sort of didn't have the opportunity of working out an exact plan for the next months, I was fleeing from the Dark Lord, Weasley."
„So now we should do all the thinking?"
„Ron, please." Harry gave him a stern look. His gaze wandered from Ron to Draco and back again. „I admittedly have no idea whatsoever about how we are going to proceed, but there will be a solution. It's been a long day, with the locket and all and it's late, so I think we should go to bed."
„Okay." Ron sighed and walked out of the door, down the corridor to his room, murmuring good night to Harry and to Hermione, who just returned from the kitchen with a plate full of sandwiches and a huge mug of tea, which she put on the table in front of Draco.
„There. I hope they are tasty."
„Thanks." Draco picked up a sandwich and started to eat. He seemed to be starving. In the meanwhile, Hermione looked at Harry questioningly.
„What's up with Ron?"
„He wanted to know about how we'll proceed, which I don't know. I called it a night, you should head to bed as well, tomorrow we can look at this in better condition. I will show Draco to a room."
Hermione nodded. „Okay. Good night then, you two."
„Good night," Harry and Draco responded almost at the same time.
Harry watched Draco eat. He wondered how long Draco had been on the run and how long he hadn't gotten anything to eat. Soon, the silence became too unbearable and Harry spoke up.
„How long have you been on the run?" Draco looked up, surprised of the question.
„Er, four days."
„You didn't get much to eat, did you?"
„No. A few berries out of the woods were all I found, and I stole some food from time to time when I got the chance." Draco kept on eating while the silence returned, only broken by the noise the tea mug made when Draco put it back on the table.
While Harry watched Draco eat, he felt the small drop of pity again he had felt at the end of last school year as he had seen Crabe and Goyle alone, only now it didn't seem to be a drop of pity, it was a lake. That must be why he was so polite and nice.
When Draco finished the last sandwich and put the empty mug of tea on the table, he turned to Harry: „Er, where should I put these?"
Harry stood up and waved a hand at Draco, indicating him to do the same. „Just follow me." Draco picked up the dish and the mug again and followed Harry down the stairs. Before they reached the Entrance Hall, Harry pulled to a halt. „Be quiet in here, please. There is a painting behind those curtains that is easily disturbed and when that happens, it shouts louder than anything I've ever heard." Draco nodded in response.
Harry guided the blonde boy into the kitchen, where Draco placed the things with the other dirty dishes.
„I could help washing them tomorrow," offered Draco. Harry gave him a short laugh.
„Try it again with a little less enthusiasm."
„Potter, I've been living with house-elves for all my life, how do you think I could be enthusiastic about kitchen work. I just wanted to be polite," Draco snapped.
„Okay, okay. We'll see about that tomorrow. Come on, we have to get up to the second floor again, or the third, wherever we find a spare room for you."
They made their way through the Entrance Hall, up the stairs onto the third floor, where Harry found a spare room with a made bed near his room. He didn't like the fact of having Draco Malfoy so near him, but he thought it wouldn't help the blonde much if he gave him a room miles away from anyone else's.
„Here you go. Bathroom's over there," Harry pointed to the bathroom door, „and my room is three doors to your left. For emergencies."
„Good."
They were silent for a moment or two until Harry asked a question that had been on his mind for a while now. „How did you find us? I thought this house is undetectable."
„Im good at apparating. I tried to apparate to you and I succeeded after a time. Where did I land anyway?"
„London." They fell silent again, but this time, it was Draco who spoke up first.
„Oh, I have good news, I almost forgot. I don't know if they are wonderful news, but they're good, I think."
„What?", Harry asked curiously.
„Nagini is dead. The snake the Dark Lord had." Draco looked up at Harry only to find him brake into a huge smile.
„Really? How did it die?" If this really was true, Harry had one Horcrux less to worry about.
„Poisoned."
„By who?"
„I don't know for sure. Wormtail, who was feeding her, was held responsible for her death."
„Please, tell me Voldemort has killed him for it!" Draco winced at the sound of the name but caught himself in the next second. He shook his head.
„No, he hasn't been killed. But punished."
Harry wanted to ask „Like you were punished?" but thought better of it. Instead he said: „But by the sound of your voice, you don't seem to think it was him."
„No, he's too stupid for that. It must have been a strong potion to kill that thing and those are mostly pretty complicated."
Snape came to Harry's mind, but Harry pushed that thought away. Why should Snape kill his master's precious pet? Perhaps it was Wormtail after all, perhaps he had yet undiscovered talents. But Harry didn't voice his thoughts. It really had been a long day and Harry had got tired as well. He was sure Draco had been longing for a bed since Harry had told Hermione, he would show Draco to a room.
„Well, I think we both should go to bed now. Sleep as long as you want, we'll probably be in the kitchen or in the living room one floor below. Then we'll figure out what to do next."
„And what to do with me."
„Yeah." Harry nodded at Draco, who nodded back, and made his way to his room. Draco stayed in front of his room for another second. He wanted to hold Harry back and tell him, how grateful he was, but there was still enough Malfoy in him to hold him back. Draco turned and faced the door, opened it slowly and stepped into the room. He didn't pay attention to the furniture or anything else, he only found the bed and crawled under the covers, not bothering to strip, and fell asleep at an instant.
-fin-