So this is a story I started in the summer when I needed a break from working on a freelance illustration job. I just sat down and started to write down a random idea I had. After a few weeks I continued working on it whenever i felt stuck on a different story or needed stress relief.
I considered it my writers block story. It wasn't until a couple months later I realized I had written over 65 pages. Then I started to take it seriously and made sure the plot made sense. After working on it for a few months I decided it was time to share it with the world. I really love what I came up with.
This story takes place in the seventh year but I didn't want to follow the book too much. I find it boring when I read a fanfition and they are just repeating what already happened. I only kept things I really liked or mad e reference. I created my own situations for how they find the horcuxes. I've really enjoyed other Draco joined the horcrux hunt story and wanted to try my own.
For the longest time I called it my Horcrux story. After looking through the article on Harry Potter Wiki on horcruxes I came up a couple ideas for a title. I ended up calling it Essence of Self because there was a quote that described the soul that way. I found it very fitting and stuck with it.
Now that I have a title for my story I felt ready to publish it. There is a lot more to come so stay tuned.
Essence of Self
Lock
o0o
Not returning to Hogwarts was the right idea, no matter how dissatisfied Molly Weasley was about them not finishing there schooling. They had a lot more important things to do than finish their NEWTS. After Bill's wedding was crashed by death eaters they set out to begin their hunt but the problem was they didn't know where to start looking.
Because Harry had wanted posters up he knew they couldn't go out in the open in the wizarding world. They decided it would be best to head back to Grimmauld place. Even if Snape could still get in it was unlikely that he would do so. It was as safe a place to be than any.
Stepping into the entrance hall they looked around curiously. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. Harry could see that Kreacher had not been doing his job. It was reverting back to the condition it was in before the Order had taken over it because of the little care it was given.
"I guess we'll just use the same rooms as last time." Hermione suggested breaking the silence.
"I'd rather not have to share a room with Ron if I don't have to." Harry exclaimed with a flat tone.
"I forgot you two were sharing." Hermione whispered, since it felt like it had been a long time since they were here even though it had only been since last summer. When the Order of the Phoenix was here every bedroom was occupied and they had to bunk people together. She had to share with Ginny.
"What's wrong with sharing a room with me?" Ron asked with an offended tone.
"You snore like a trucker." Harry exclaimed sarcastically. Having six years of sharing a dorm with Ron he had never grown used to the noise as he slept. Since his four poster had curtains he cast a sonorous charm on them to block out any sound. He couldn't do in the bedroom.
"What's that?" Ron asked completely confused by the muggle reference.
"I think I'm going to take Sirius's room." Harry grabbed his stuff and started up the stairs. He didn't feel like explaining muggle technology right now.
"Race yeah." Ron pushed passed his friend which set him off. They both tried to beat each other to the top of the stairs first.
"Let's meet in the library once everyone is settled." Hermione called after the two boy's. Rolling her eyes at the antics as she followed them up.
.
Harry pushed open the door to Sirius's childhood bedroom. No matter how long his godfather was gone he would always consider the space his. He hadn't had the heart to move any of his things. All the muggle posters were still up on the walls. Some would call him too sentimental.
when Harry looked around the room he found all the surfaces were covered with dust. He was sure the rest of the house was in a similar state. Kreacher had really fallen behind on the job. They would have to spend a couple days making Grimmauld place livable again.
With a couple flicks of his wand Harry set the room quickly back to rights.
Pulling out is shrunken trunk out of his pocket he restored it to its proper size. Harry decided against actually unpacking. He pulled out a change of clothes, once he was changed Harry went to meet the others.
...
They gathered in the library to brainstorm.
"Ok, what do we know of the horcruxes so far?" Hermione asked with a quill and parchment in front of her to write down anything they came up with. She found when you were stuck it was always a good idea to go over the facts again. It helped to figure out what you missed.
Harry wasn't sure why they were doing this but he would go along with it for now. "So far only two have been destroyed. The diary in second year and the ring Dumbledor took care of. Too bad the locket was a fake or that would've made three." He grumbled unhappily. They had gone through all that only to be thrown off at the last step.
"The locket?" Hermione whispered to herself as she contemplated the horcruxes. The description Harry had given after Dumbledor had shown him the pensive memories was bugging her. "You said it had Slytherin's initials on it, right?"
"Yeah it had a large ornate SS on it in the memory the headmaster showed me." Harry confirmed the items description to her. If it was so much work just to find this one how hard would the other four be?
"I've seen that before. I saw it here, last summer." Hermione pointed down to the floor of the old house of Black.
"Now that you mention it I think I have too." Ron agreed with a wide smile on his face. "It was that locket we couldn't get open." All this time it was right under their noses.
"Yes." Hermione wanted to hit herself. She felt so stupid it took so long for her to make the connection. Ron even realized before her.
"I remember Mundungus Fletcher snatched it along with a lot of the Black silver." Harry thought back to when they were clearing out the house to make it more livable last summer. "Hopefully the man didn't sell it yet or at least he remembered who to." He sighed thinking about the wild goose chase that was ahead of them.
"I don't think Mundungus ever got the chance." Hermione said thoughtfully. Her friends looked at her questionably. "Kreacher was snatching as much of the Black family heir looms as he could back then. I'm sure he has it. If it was important at all to a Black family member Kreacher would have it."
"Kreacher!" Harry growled the elf's name like it was something vile. The house elf popped into existence at his master's call. "Where did you take the locket?" He barked out immediately.
There was no question anymore if the house elf had the item in when his eyes narrowed and he hissed in displeasure.
Harry knows Kreacher knew exactly what they were talking about. "I order you to tell me where it is?"
"I have taken it to a safe place." Kreacher crossed his arms defensively. Raising his nose in the air as if to look down on his master even though he only came up to his knee. Copying the actions of his snotty pure blood masters they suspected.
"Where did you bring the locket?!" Harry grabbed the elf buy the front of his pillow case and lifted him off the ground. The little legs kicked in the air and his spindly fingers tried to pry his hands away. He held the elf at eye level to try and get across how serious he was about this.
"Harry put him down, now!" Hermione cried in shock at the harassment to the poor creature. Harry dropped the elf at her admonishment. Kreacher hit the floor hard since he wasn't expecting it. "Kreacher where did you take the locket?" Hermione tried asking kindly kneeling beside the house elf.
"Mud bloods and blood traitors." Kreacher mumbled and grumbled to himself as he climbed to his feet and brushed off the dirt. The room hadn't been cleaned in a long while.
"Tell me or you might be joining the wall sooner than expected." Harry was referring to the wall of severed house elf heads. It was a horrible Black family tradition.
"I brought it to Malfoy manor, to Mistress Narcissa. One of the last true descendants' of the Great House of Black." Kreacher finally admitted in a tone like he was pleased with his actions.
"Malfoy…" Harry started to say before biting his lip in frustration. This was the worst case scenario. Malfoy Manor would have very strong wards that would make it near impossible to enter besides the death eaters that would be guarding the premises.
"We have no choice but to go in and get it." Harry said with conviction in his voice. In his head he was already forming a plan of action.
"That's very risky." Hermione believed, always the cautious one.
"It's not just going to walk itself out of there. We have no choice." Harry replied back cynically.
"I guess you're right." Hermione admitted in defeat. "But we are going to make a proper plan before we do anything too dangerous."
"How are we going to get in?" Ron asked making the other two deflate. They had their first hurtle.
Malfoy Manor was one of the oldest buildings in the wizarding world though it had nothing on Hogwarts. Its wards were ancient and had levels upon levels of wards to keep out unwanted visitors. With each generation the Malfoy ancestors had added to its defenses.
"I'll just have to do some research on wards." Hermione stood up from her chair. She got straight to work scanning the spins of the library books. Pulling out works that looked useful from the shelves. Pure blood families had some pretty foul wards that were dark in nature. She wished they could just bypass them completely some how.
Harry and Ron stood up since they knew how Hermione got when she went in to research mode they both slipped out. It was already really late into the night and it had been a tiring day of travel.
.0.
As soon as Harry's head hit the pillow he was asleep.
~When Harry came to he wondered where he was. The room had a high ceiling and stone pillars. It was like a smaller version of the great hall from Hogwarts. He must be in one of the pure blood's grand homes.
This seemed like more than just a dream. Harry cursed that he was trapped in another vision.
"You used to be my right hand man." He could hear Voldemort's voice exclaim but could not see him meaning he was looking through the dark lord's eyes. "I used to have such high hopes for you. How disappointing you turned out to be"
"Yes Master." Lucius Malfoy groveled on the floor for forgiveness.
"How should I punish you?" Voldemort asked himself. Harry could feel the pleasure of toying with his prey.
"Anyway you wish." Lucius replied submissively as if he thought the dark lord would be more lenient.
"Bring in the younger Malfoy." Voldemort exclaimed snapping his fingers. A door at the side was suddenly opened. His sharp eyes caught how the blonde man's body tensed.
Harry saw Draco Malfoy dragged into the room by Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf threw the blonde teen to the floor in the middle of the room just a few feet back from where his father was crouched. Nagina slithered over and circled Draco keeping him in place.
"That is all. You can leave." Voldemort flicked his wrist as if he was dismissing his subject. Suddenly the field of view was different as if Voldemort had just stood up from a chair. He could feel the body swiftly moving down a small flight of stairs
Then Draco Malfoy's face was super close. Harry could see every eyelash and even that there was a very light group of freckles across his aristocratic nose. The grey eyes widened in shock, he could truly see fear in them as his chin was cupped."So delicate." Voldemort spoke as he examined the slender teen in front of him. Using his finger he push his nail into the soft skin of the boy's cheek making it bleed. He licked the blood off his finger. "So pure."
Harry could taste what Voldemort tasted. It was coppery but still pleasant to the palette.
"The Malfoy line is supposed to be the most pure wizard blood line in existence." Voldemort sneered as he circled the father and son. Draco tried to sit up but the dark lord shoved him in the chest so he fell back to the marble floor hard. "But so weak."
This did not look good Harry thought to himself as he felt the body he was inhabiting pull out their wand.
"Blood such as yours should not be spilled so carelessly." With a flick of his wand Malfoy was writing in pain at his feet. Cries of agony left his lips that he couldn't hold in.
"Please my Lord." Lucius begged for his son's sanity. If Draco was held under for much longer he may break.
Harry tried to will himself awake. He wanted to escape this.
Releasing the spell Voldemort turned on his heel and retook his throne. Harry could feel how Voldemort felt the boy was more useful in one piece.
Harry could see how Lucius took his sons head in his lap and stroked his hair. Draco was unconscious from the torture.
Voldemort turned to address Malfoy senior. "Tomorrow I have an errand I need to run, you and your wife will accompany me."
"Yes my lord." Lucius nodded in understanding.
"I'll give you one more chance to prove your worth to me Lucius." Voldemort warned. His vision blurred meaning that the dark lord was glaring. "If you don't your precious son will take the blame." A weak cutting curse was thrown at the young Malfoy hitting him in the shoulder blade. The boy let out a hiss of pain. It sliced his shirt open and some blood started to darken the fabric.
Voldemort thought his warning was clear of what would befall his heir if he stepped out of line. There was a feeling of strong disgust. 'People who had a weakness were so easy to control' Harry could hear strongly in his mind. It was what Voldemort thought which is why he could never understand how powerful love could be.
Lucius's son was his blind spot and his greatest weakness. The young Malfoy had failed him but he still had some use. If he threatened the Malfoy heir's safety he could get anything he wanted from the patriarch. The Malfoy Manor and the Malfoy fortune would be his to do with as he pleased as long as this boy was within his reach.
.
Harry gasped awake sitting up in bed. He panted and grabbed at his head. His scar was burning in pain. His sweat had soaked through his pajamas.
'A vision.' Harry thought in amazement. He recognized the feeling from years past. It wasn't just any dream since he was seeing what had actually happened.
He hadn't seen into Voldemort's mind in a long while. It was only when he was experiencing strong emotions did it occur. This wasn't anger this time though; it was pleasure- pleasure at Malfoy's pain.
Climbing out of his bed Harry grabbed some clean clothes and went to the bathroom. He couldn't fall asleep again in this condition. At least he hadn't puked this time.
The old pipes creaked when he turned the taps.
His hands shook as he tried to undress himself. Tired of trying to undo the buttons Harry ripped the top over his head and slid the bottoms down. Once he was nude he stepped over the rim of the tub.
He sighed in relief when the hot water hit his skin. Harry immersed himself under the spray of the shower head. He closed his eyes trying to forget about what happened in his vision.
Was it just a coincidence that he saw Malfoy manor. They had just been talking about raiding the manor earlier this evening to get the locket out. It hadn't occurred to him earlier that if they did he might run into Malfoy himself. He had been putting all his hate towards Snape and he hadn't spared a thought about Draco Malfoy.
Harry hadn't gave a thought about what Malfoy must be going through. The boy had failed an order from the dark lord so he must have been punished. He almost felt sorry for the Slytherin. Malfoy had gotten himself into that situation though. He couldn't pick his family though. The tables had been switched from his parent's life being used to control him to his own life.
Harry remembered Malfoy crying in the bathroom last year. The hopelessness he felt. He tried to banish the image from his mind.
Same as every other time, Harry felt dirty after experiencing Voldemort's feeling and point of view. Harry tried to wash himself clean, both physically and mentally.
...
After lying in bed for hours unable to sleep Harry finally decided to climb out of the warm covers once the sun rose.
Surprisingly he ran into Ron in the hall. They both nodded to each other as they climbed down the stairs.
When Harry opened the cupboards to look for food he found them to be sorely lacking. They were sparsely stocked and most of the food had gone bad or soured in the cold cupboard. "We need to go shopping."
Ron's stomach grumbled loudly in protest at the lack of food. "Agreed." For someone who had access to his mother's cooking or the food at Hogwarts this feeling of deep hunger was an unusual feeling.
The only thing good in the cupboards was coffee because it had no expiration date. They sipped dejectedly at the dark beverage because they had no milk or cream to go with it. Thinking they could doused it in sugar only to find some moisture had gotten in and clumped the whole thing together.
Once it became confirmed that Snape was on the other side the Order had decided to stop using the house as headquarters for a bit. Dumbledor had been the only person who knew the identity of the secret keeper so they did not know who had the power to keep the ex-potion master out.
Until a new secret keeper would be picked to change the exceptions it was considered to be unsecured.
The wound of Dumbledor's death was still too fresh in everyone's minds. The members wished to spend some time with their families and loved ones. They would gather again, and soon. Harry didn't think they would have the house to themselves for long.
A frazzled Hermione barged into the kitchen. "I think I've figured out a loop hole." She claimed placing a book on the table that Ron had to save his coffee from being knocked over from. It was the only nourishment he had so it was precious.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" Harry asked suspiciously looking at her unusual disheveled appearance. Her hair was reminiscing of their early Hogwarts years.
"No I couldn't sleep." Hermione answered as she flipped the tomb open and thumbed to find the right page. "House elf magic is different from ours. As long as they have been there before they would be able to bring us through the wards."
The two males stared blankly at her.
"Don't you see? It's the answer to our problem." Hermione said with enthusiasm.
"That's great and all but we don't exactly have a Malfoy house elf here with us." Ron said disgruntled.
"We don't need one. Kreacher has been through the wards before." Hermione gave them a pointed look.
"But he isn't trust worthy at all." Harry said sorry to break her bubble. Kreacher was the one that betrayed Sirius to the Malfoy family two years ago. There was no way he could trust the elf not to do so once more.
"You're right. He'll more than likely feed you to Nagina than be any help." Hermione sighed tiredly.
"Dobby." Ron said as he watched her try to think while sleep deprived.
"What she asked as she took a sip of the red heads coffee to help kick start her brain. She clearly wasn't thinking logically.
"Didn't he used to be owned by Malfoy's father?" Ron pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course." Harry smiled brightly as the plan slid into place in his head. "Dobby would do anything for me. I could call him here from Hogwarts."
"Why didn't I think of that?" Hermione pouted, berating herself.
"Well I had hours of sleep last night so don't feel too bad." Ron patted her on the shoulder. "Now Harry has no excuse. He went to bed before I did."
"It's the morning. I don't function well before noon." Harry retorted groggily.
"You should go get some sleep." Ron suggested to the frazzled girl.
"You're right." Hermione headed upstairs to bed.
They were left alone to enjoy their meager breakfast.
"Do you think Malfoy will be there?" Ron contemplated out loud.
"Which one?" Harry asked with a roll of his eyes. At his friends glare he sighed. "I'm sure Draco will be there. What we really have to worry about though is the unknown death eaters who might also be occupying the manor."
...
Once they were done eating they moved to the library.
Hermione joined them after a short nap. Her mind was working too much for her to fall into a deep sleep. "So we now found a way to get into Malfoy manor." She exclaimed nervously.
"Before we do that, we have to find out where Kreacher hid the locket first." Harry exclaimed. He summoned the house elf to interrogate him.
"Be very careful how you order Kreacher. "Hermione forewarned him. "Don't leave any loop holes for him to betray you."
Harry nodded in understanding. When the house elf in question popped up in front of him he immediately dived in. "You can't leave this house or talk to anyone outside of us three about anything that you here us saying."
"As my master commands." Kreacher gave a mock bow to show disrespect. They knew the house elf couldn't disobey a direct order.
"Where exactly in the house did you leave the locket?" Harry probed for the location. "I'm your master you can't disobey me."
Kreacher tried to fight the impulse to obey his master but it was too great. "Mrs. Narcissa was in a meeting so as not to disturb her I placed the locket on her dresser." The elf replied with a deep exhalation.
"That's all I needed to know." Harry smirked down at the elf. "Dobby!" Harry called to the air.
In ten seconds flat an elf wearing a knitted sweater with a kitten on it and socks was in front of him. The two house elf starred each other down. They hadn't had to work together since Harry had them follow Malfoy around last school year.
"You're dismissed." Harry informed Kreacher since he had gotten all the information he could use from him. Kreacher made a face behind his master's back then aparated back to the kitchen.
"Dobby can you explain to me the layout of the manor." Ron asked. Originally the elf tried to explain verbally but it was just talking in circles. Instead he had Dobby draw him a diagram. Looking over the 4 floors with a furrowed brow. "So the master bedroom is on the 4th floor?"
"Yes." Dobby nodded enthusiastically. "The master bedroom is the only room protected against house elf magic."
"Really, why?" Harry asked curiously.
"They like us to knock before entering." Dobby replied with a blush across his cheeks. They didn't even want to speculate what happened in the past to cause that reaction.
"When should we do this?" Hermione asked with apprehension. "We don't know who is going to be there. For all we know Voldemort himself could be present."
"It has to be tomorrow." Harry exclaimed adamantly. "Voldemort will be out of the Manor."
"How do you know?" Ron asked. Since they no longer had a spy on the other side, they no longer received warnings like that from the Order.
"Did you have another vision?" Hermione accused with her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you tell us?" She snapped.
"It happened last night. Voldemort isn't very happy with the Malfoy's right now." Harry explained sighing deeply. Draco Malfoy had still been one of their class mates. It was hard not to have some feelings for the Slytherin. It was weird to think of a world without Draco Malfoy in it.
"We're going to do this in broad day light." Ron gasped in surprise. Whenever he thought about breaking into a house he thought about doing it in the shadow of the night.
"Death eaters thrive at night." Harry exclaimed the reason behind his decision. "We also can't risk that Voldemort coming back early.
"Gather everything you think we may need. Go to bed early. You need to get lots of rest so that you'll be prepared tomorrow." Harry ordered his friends. He would try to follow his own advice.
o0o
With a pop they appeared in a lavish hallway.
Harry released his hold on Dobby as he examined their location. It appeared they were in a hallway on at least the second story judging from the view from the window. There was extravagant interior lining the hall that ranged from paintings, plants, and armor.
"Which way?" Ron asked the elf, wanting this to get over and done with so he could get out of here and back to safety.
"Master Lucius's room is up the stairs there." Dobby pointed to a nearby set of stairs that was framed by two suits of armor.
They could hear footsteps coming from don the hall.
Harry scrambled in his bag to grab the invisibility cloak. He hadn't been expecting to run into anyone so soon. He tried to throw it over them but they were all too big to fit under it now. Harry cursed Ron's growth spurt though he knew it wasn't his fault. They had all grown; they weren't first years anymore.
'Crap' was all Harry could think when he looked down and saw their ankles were sticking out in plain view. Realizing he had to do something quickly before they would be discovered. Harry dashed out from under the invisibility cloak.
Hermione grabbed his wrist to stop him. "Where are you going?" She whispered under her breath nervously. Not wanting to be overheard.
"I'll distract them. Just don't worry about me and get the locket." Harry tugged his hand out of her grip and ran down an opposite hallway. Knocking a suit of armor over deliberately to gain their attention.
Hearing the loud clatter hurdled Ron and Hermione into action. They ascended the stairs to the top floor.
Harry flew through the hallways checking to make sure the Death Eaters were following him. Slipping into an alcove he disillusioned himself. Continuing on his path he took the stairs downward and stomped down them so that the Death eaters would follow him. He wanted to lead them as far from his friends as possible.
Panting he slowed his pace. Harry didn't hear anyone pursuing him anymore. He hoped the death eaters had lost his trail. It seemed the manor had been alerted to an intruder. It appeared he had at least succeeded in leading the death eaters away from his friend's location. Now all he had to do was find his way back upstairs without alerting anyone to his position.
Looking Harry tried to figure out where he was. He had just been running blindly not knowing where he was actually going. If it wasn't for the window telling him he was now on the first floor he would think he was in the same hallway from before because it was practically identical.
Knowing he couldn't just stay here Harry started to walk cautiously down the hallway. Every portrait he passed featured a snobbish platinum blonde. He knew that Malfoy had always boasted about generations of wizards in his family but it only hit him now how true it was. The words Voldemort had exclaimed in the vision came back to him. "Purest of pure blood."
"Get away from me." Harry heard a familiar voice drawl. He snuck up to the room he heard the call from. He could see the form of Draco Malfoy being backed up into a corner. It appeared he had found himself in a bad situation.
From where Harry was he thought the man was Avery. He looked familiar from a wanted poster. The name really didn't matter. He knew the man had been at the Department of Mysteries though.
"Your parents aren't here right now to protect you." Avery leered at the teenager. "Aren't so untouchable now." The Death Eater exclaimed as he cupped Malfoy's pale cheek.
Harry whispered a stunner spell under his breath. The man crumpled to the ground and Malfoy looked around with wide eyes. Harry smirked until a spell was cast in his direction that he only just managed to dodge at the last second. Thank god for his fast reflexes from Quidditch. The only problem was that he had jumped into the room.
"Got you now!" Bellatrix Lestrange cried as she slammed the door behind her. She had joined in the search for the intruder. She had just happened to see a spell come from thin air. "Let see who we have here. Finite Incantatem!" His disillusion charm was ripped away exposing his form to the naked eye once more.
"Potter." Malfoy exclaimed in shock at his sudden appearance in what could be considered his living room.
"Diffindo!" Harry cried calling up a shield just in the nick of time. The curse bounced off his shield. Another spell followed it one after another. "Petrificus Totalus." He tried to cast a full body bind but Bellatrix managed to dodge the spell.
"Confringo." Bellatrix Lestrange cackled as she threw spells at him.
Harry had to dodge the blasting curse. He managed to get one Stupefy spell off before he had to hide behind a shield charm once more. The force of the spells made him back up. Harry ended up tripping over a footstool. Really who had footstools anymore?
Bellatrix walked over pointing her wand at his chest. "There's nowhere to go inkle Potter." She cackled as raised her wand and then started to cast. "Avada-"
There was a thump noise and Bellatrix dropped to the ground unconscious.
Behind her Harry could see the form of one Draco Malfoy who was holding an ornate dragon sculpture in his hands that looked like it was made from green jade.
"Oh God. What did I do?" Malfoy dropped the sculpture that rolled away from him. He grabbed his hair messing up the perfect hair style. When Draco had seen his aunt about to cast the killing curse on Potter he had just acted on impulse. "She's going to kill me when she wakes up." Draco mumbled to himself with dread.
Hearing the sound of more Death Eaters coming Harry scrambled to his feet. As a second thought he grabbed Malfoy's hand and dragged him with him. After the Slytherin had just saved his life he didn't feel like he could just leave him to the hands of his aunt.
"Potter, what you are doing?" Draco asked as he struggled to keep up with the chosen one's fast pace. They dashed through the halls of the manor. Portraits of his ancestors glared from their frames as they whipped past.
"Getting us out of here." Harry answered as he tried to find the exit. This house was like a maze. He stopped when the hall forked. "Which way?"
Before Malfoy could answer they ended up having to dodge a blasting curse separating their hold on each other. In the confusion and panic to get away from the threat they both ran in the opposite direction from each other down different halls. Draco to the right and Harry to the left.
Draco ran directly into the chest of Avery. Who tugged him up from the ground by the front of his robes. He had just escaped the man's touch only to run directly into his hold. Luckily there were others around or he didn't know what would have happened to him.
o0o
Draco was pushed into one of the cells none too lightly. He ended up losing his footing and stumbling to land on his hands and knees. "The roughness was completely un-necessary." He mumbled to himself as he made his way to his feet. Brushing the dirt off of his dress pants.
He looked despairingly around his cell. It was unlikely he would be seeing anywhere else anytime soon. 'At least Potter got away.' Draco thought to himself. It had been worth it to save Potter's life. The boy who lived was their only hope to see the end of the Dark Lords tyrannical reign.
Flopping down on the bed in resignation Draco sighed as he looked at the cracked ceiling. He could only hope that his father could talk him out of here once he returned. If Bellatrix didn't label hi a traitor first. Maybe his aunt didn't know it was him who knocked her out. He thought she might have seen him at the last second though because her eyes narrowed so Draco didn't have high hopes.
Not long after he was put there the door opened again and someone else was pushed in. The glasses that slid across the ground were a tell-tale of the person's identity.
"Fuck." Draco swore out loud.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked as he squinted into the dark cell. He leaned down to feel for his glasses. Once the frames were back on his face he could clearly see the ruffled blond sitting on the only bed in the cell.
"Yes it's me!" Draco snapped in irritation. He swore too much if the chosen one could recognize his voice from a dirty word. "This is just perfect. Not only am I in the dungeons of my own ancestral home, but now, I have to share my cell with you." He complained.
"This isn't exactly my cup of tea either." Harry grumbled as he examined their new lodgings. They weren't exactly the greatest but hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with them long. "It isn't the worst thing that could have happened." He shrugged.
"Your only alive right now because the Dark Lord claimed your death. As soon as he arrives, you're dead." Draco snapped at how Potter wasn't taking this situation seriously.
"Not if I'm gone before Tom gets here." Harry replied calmly.
"Who the hell is Tom." Draco asked confused.
"Doesn't matter." Harry dismissed the question not feeling like explaining. He knew that Voldemort had gone through a lot of trouble hiding his parentage from his followers. "Don't worry. I already have a way of escape." Harry sat down on the bed beside the blonde. He leaned back against the wall calm about being imprisoned.
Draco was going to start asking more questions when they heard some movement nearby. "Shhh." Potter put a hand over his mouth to get him to be quite. The Slytherin grumbled unhappily against his palm. His breath warmed the skin of his hand. The footsteps moved past the door of their cell and disappeared. When he noticed he still had his hand over Malfoy's face he blushed and let him go.
When Draco was released he stood up and started to pace back and forth. "This is a fucking bad sitation."This was a really bad situation he had found himself in, all because he couldn't watch his school nemesis die. "Wait maybe being stuck here with you isn't a bad thing. Your Order with send a rescue mission for you." Draco said out loud in contemplation. "I just tag along with you when they come for you."
"You'd really leave with me?" Harry looked intently at the Slytherin who he could see the implications of his desertion flash across his eyes. Remembering his vision; if he could remove Malfoy Lucius might desert hsi master leaving him high and dry.
"I can't leave my parents." Draco exclaimed, he didn't know what the dark lord would do to them if he disappeared.
Harry walked and grabbed the Slytherin by his shoulders. "You don't have much of a choice anymore. When Bellatrix wakes up she'll most likely kill you for your treachery. I'm sure your parents would much rather you stay alive."
"If I stay…" Draco gulped, sighing in resignation running his fingers through his hair. There was only torture in his future if he didn't leave. His aunt would not give him a fast death if she got a hold of him. "Maybe. I don't want this anymore." He exclaimed unsure of his decision.
"Shake on it." Harry held his hand out for the blonde to take. Malfoy looked at his hand warily before he made a decision. The slim hand grasped his hand tightly. It felt like this moment had been postponed for six long years.
"Agreed." When Draco had offered out his hand in first year and Potter had rejected him.
Harry smiled to himself as he looked down at his watch. "That should've given them enough time." They'd been in the dungeon for a good half an hour at least. "Dobby!" He called into thin air.
The house elf popped into existence in the middle of the dingy cell. "Harry Potter is in the dungeons." Dobby said as he realized their location.
"Yes but not for long, because you are going to get us out of here." Harry stood up and stretched out his muscles.
"Us?" Dobby asked looking around for another wizard. "Young Master Malfoy." He said in surprise when he spotted the young son of his former master.
"House elves? You're using house elves to break into the manor." Draco said in surprise. Looking at the strange elf that was wearing clothes. Not just any clothes but two knitted hats, a blue sweater with a kitten face on it, and rainbow striped socks.
"Did you guys get the item we came for?" Harry inquired.
"Yes. Master Weasley and Mistress Granger have it now back at the house." Dobby nodded to himself.
"Good everything went to plan then." Harry smiled in relief. That was one of the horcruxes down.
"To plan! You're in the dungeon." Draco said with his arms crossed.
"You see, I was the distraction so that the death eater's weren't concentrating on what my friends were doing." Harry shrugged off the blonde's irritation. "So it went perfectly to plan."
"What help is he going to be?" Draco asked pointing to the elf. "They are good when you want a cup of tea but what use could a house elf be for breaking out of jail?"
"Never underestimate a house elf." Harry claimed with a confident smirk. "Read this." He handed the blonde a slip of paper.
"Number Twelve Grimmauld Place." Draco read out loud. "What is this? An address." He answered his own question holding up the slip of paper.
Harry took Dobby's small hand into his. "Grab his other hand." When Malfoy made no movement Harry tugged him by his robe close to him and put a hand around his waist. "We're ready." He nodded at the house elf.
"For what?" Draco asked anxiously, turning his head to speak making his nose brush against Potters jaw. 'When did he get taller than me?' He asked himself.
"We are going to aparate out of here." Harry answered with a smirk.
"Apa… there are very strong ward in place against that very thing." Draco snapped loudly straight into his ear.
Harry winced at the loud noise. Hoping no one heard. "A house elves' magic works differently than ours. The wards will do nothing to stop him, while if we tried we would get splinched." He said to reassure the blonde. Malfoy gave him an unsure look.
With a snap of Dobby's little fingers they aparated out of Malfoy Manor dungeons.
...TBC