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Draco's heart was still hammering madly, even though he had been sitting immobile for at least five minutes. Had it really been five minutes? It could have been hours for all he knew. All that was certain was that it was now dark outside, which could mean anything, as it was dark when he was running too. Running for his life. From his last chance…
Draco attempted to get up. Currently, he was slumped against a wall, attempting to think straight. He kneeled, trying to push himself up, only to have his feet slip out from underneath him, having his gorgeous blonde head sent smacking against the wall that had been supporting him.
Just how badly had this whole ordeal screwed with him?
He sat for a few more moments, now nursing the back of his head. And he had just thought the throbbing couldn't get worse…
'Okay,' He thought, taking large, deep breaths. 'Okay. So I just ran faster than I fucking knew possible off of Hogwarts grounds, after almost killing Dumbledore… okay, so I didn't almost kill him, I just kind of stood there…. Freaking out….. why didn't I do it…… oh shit…. Oh shit, oh shiiit…..'
The horrible feeling of having ice for innards swiftly returned; it had only subsided when he smacked his head, and now was back with twice its' force. He had not killed Dumbledore. He had not completed his job. What was going to happen to him?
Perhaps…. Perhaps he wouldn't be punished after all…. He HAD successfully gotten the death eaters into Hogwarts… and Dumbledore WAS dead, even if he hadn't done it. Maybe he would even be praised….but still…..
Well, that brought him to now. He sat, still slumped, in his own hallway. In his haste to get off Hogwarts grounds, he apparated to the first place that popped into his head- Home, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. Well, not at the moment anyways, later he would probably deny it at all costs. At the moment, however, he was safe in his own territory, his beloved mansion, with his mother most likely snoozing away upstairs.
Draco knew deep down he couldn't stay here long, the Dark Lord would be expecting him after Snape showed up, for sure… yet he couldn't find the strength in him to stand, still.
'What am I, a pansy? Honestly…' He thought angrily to himself, forcing himself up. The blood instantly rushed to his head, making it throb more than ever. "Fuck…" He muttered, as he shook his hair out of his face. He would just ignore it for now.
Draco formed the obvious plan in his head. He would go wake his mother, she would no doubt want to be informed of everything that has happened, especially by him. SHE would be proud, he thought, proud that he was cunning enough to get the death Eaters into Hogwarts without Dumbledore ever knowing. Besides, she would probably have excellent advice on what to do next, even though he was pretty obvious that would be to return to the Dark Lord. Yet it always seemed much more logical when she explained it….
Deep down, His mother was the only person he loved with all his heart. Sure, he loved his Dad, but it was more of a respect thing with his Father. He never really felt like he could poor his heart out to him, tell him all of his troubles and what-not, and expect him to hug him and say he loved him. No, he would be less surprised to see his father reach for a belt and tell him to stop being a Goddamn pussy. His mother would, however, take him in her arms without hesitation and, if Draco felt the need to, cry his eyes out. And he always felt so much better after he did.
Of course, this was top secret to Draco and his Mum, if anyone else were to know this he would probably die of pride failure.
He quietly started to ascend the stairs when he heard a noise. It sounded almost like a rattling… like chains, clinking together….. He turned around, tense and alert.
His large, intricate window sill was fogging at an alarming rate, the whole house seemed to have dropped thirty degrees…. And a cold, plummeting feeling was deep in his stomach…..
But no… it couldn't be…..
Before Draco even saw the actual dementor, he was tearing upstairs. "Mum!" He cried as he ran, "Mother! You have to get up, we have to get out of here!"
He kicked open the door to the master bedroom to see his Narcissa sitting up in her bed, looking like she'd just been slapped in the face. "Dr-draco? Why… why are you here, what's going on? My Lord, it's three in the-"
"We have to go, now!" Draco cut her off. He grabbed her arm and pulled her off of her bed, dragging her to the door and down the stairs. The whole house now was icily cold, Draco could see his breathe as he panted.
"What in fucking God's name…' Narcissa was muttering. She knew perfectly well that there were dementors here, that was more than obvious, but as to WHY they were there at the Malfoy manor….
Draco was just as confused as she was.
"We've got to go, we've got to go…" Draco was muttering quickly to himself. He glanced at the front door, it was the closest exit. But to his horror, he saw his doorknob slowly turning…. He heard the lock click, it was evidently broken….. his heart seemed to freeze…..
And on that split second, every horrible feeling he had ever felt came rushing back to him, every time he was humiliated… he saw his parents fighting, screaming….. he remembered the first time his heart was broken, something he thought impossible for a handsome Malfoy…. He was remembering how it felt to be turned into a ferret in front of his enemies, bouncing like a moron…..
He tried desperately to snap out of it. He turned to see his mother sinking to the floor, opening her mouth yet with no words coming out.
"We have… we must …" Draco dragged her with all his might, using every ounce of concentration he could muster on getting to the back door…. The dementors were so close behind them, yet he didn't look back….
To his relief, the back door was unlocked, and seemed to fall open to his touch. He was sure, for that fleeting moment, that they were safe, they would make it…
The relief lasted only a moment, when, to his unbelievable horror, he saw two more. It was as if they were waiting for them. The horrible sinking feeling swept through Draco again, and he felt his Mum stagger and fall to her knees.
No… this couldn't be happening….. they were both going to die…..
He quickly thought of anything that could help them now… he couldn't seem to concentrate on anything, there was no way he could apparate, there was nothing he could do…. They were coming closer, they were all around them, there was no escape….
He saw potter winning against the dragon in the triwizard tournament…. he had just failed to catch the snitch when it was right by him… Potter was surrounded by people, all laughing… happy….. because of stupid Potter….
Potter! Hadn't he fought off dementors before? What had he said…? … what did he do…..?
"Expecto… batronum…" Draco guessed desperately. Nothing happened. He was unpleasantly surprised, too, when he found himself on his knees, unaware of ever falling.
This was it, it was all over, he and his mother were worse than dead…
Just feet away now…. Maybe it would be painless…..
That was when he turned to face her. She would be that last thing he looked at, he thought, the last image would be of his loving mother… but his mother was not there. She was staggering onward, away from him, flailing her arms like wings. Later, it would become obvious to Draco that she was trying to catch their attention.
It had worked too, though it was not her arm flailing that distracted them. It was her sudden uproar of defiance they had detected, this sudden will-power that only a mother could get, that made the dementors quickly change their minds as to which host they would prefer.
Within seconds they had caught up to her, she had only managed to run a few yards. She collapsed to her knees again, her eyes closed, and would have fallen forward if not for one of the dementors delicately cradling her chin in its' hand. The dementor lowered its hood and leaned in….
Draco's vision seemed blurred, it was as if he were watching this whole event through stain glass, and that it wasn't actually happening. There was his mother, as beautiful and as loving as he had ever seen her…
He gingerly got to his feet, amazed that he could even do that. He just needed to get to her, quickly, now…
And then, unexpectantly, his mother opened her eyes, even though the dementor was less than an inch from her gorgeous, pale face. Her brilliant blue eyes met Draco's cold, gray ones, and for a moment, all space seemed to freeze. No emotion could have been stronger than the one felt in the heart stopping moment…. Was it love? Passion? Sorrow? Was it, perhaps, more?
Then, she opened her mouth, forming one, simple word…. Though her voice failed to cooperate, and though he wouldn't have been able to hear it even if it had, it was obvious what she had said…..
…Go.
And then it happened, the dementor closed the space between itself and Narcissa, and a brilliant white light shone, brighter than Draco had ever seen. The Dementor eagerly inhaled it; the light had barley a moment to shine in the darkness before it was gone… Narcissa would never come back….
Draco's mouth was dry. "Mum?" He had tried to say, only to discover his voice had left him too. No, no it couldn't be, that hadn't really just happened, he was having a nightmare…..
One of the dementors turned to face him. If he didn't act now, he thought frantically, he would surely be caught… he would face the same fate as his mum…
They were advancing on him…
Guilt seemed to have temporarily frozen him, but soon reality shot back, forcing the feeling to return to his legs….
He had no choice.
He ran.
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Well.. that's chapter one for you…. REVIEW!