Opposites Attract
Draco Malfoy lay on his back in bed late one night, listening to the low, rumbling sound of thunder and the pitter-patter of rain.
Staring at the ceiling, he tried to fall asleep. He couldn't; fear had overtaken him. Fear of dying.
If the Dark Lord finds out I didn't kill Dumbledore, I will die...
The thought popped in his head unbidden, and it frightened him terribly. His door swung open, and there stood Severus Snape, holding a lantern which illuminated his ashen face.
Draco gasped and sat up, breathing hard. "What?"
Snape looked at him with a hard expression. "The Dark Lord would like to talk to you."
Draco swallowed. "He-he's here? Right now?"
"Yes. Hurry; he does not like to wait."
Draco slid out of bed, shaking immensely. He was breathless with fear, so he had to grasp the railing on the staircase and tried to move quickly; however, he was unable to do this, so he ended up falling down the stairs with a thud.
He looked around, stood up, and realized Snape was nowhere to be found. This scared him, and he gasped once more.
Draco walked to the front room and saw Voldemort.
The Dark Lord stood and strode over to Draco and stared at him, his scarlet eyes gleaming.
"Draco, Draco. How are you this evening?"
Draco's mouth opened, but before he had a chance to answer, Voldemort went on.
"I see you have accomplished the task, given you are the son of my most…shall we say, unfaithful servant?"
It was only then Draco realized three Death Eaters were standing behind Voldemort, holding a person whom Draco knew very well, yet the person was nearly unrecognizable to him.
Lucius Malfoy looked up and tried to struggle free from the grasp of Bellatrix Lestrange, Goyle's father, and Snape, of course.
"Draco…" said Lucius in a weak yet angry voice. "Do whatever the Dark Lord says."
Draco glanced fearfully at Voldemort, then back at his father.
"What's my next task?"
That burst out of Draco's mouth before he could even think of what to say. The Dark Lord sneered, and said, "Well, since you sound so enthusiastic about it, I think I'll tell you…" he paused, and then went on. "You are to protect my Horcruxes. By whatever means necessary. If death is a threat, you know the killing curse."
Draco opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times before nodding.
Voldemort sneered, then turned to the three Death Eaters restraining Lucius Malfoy.
"Release him."
Bellatrix, Goyle, and Snape let go of Draco's father, who was still struggling to be freed. He fell forward and struggled to stand up, grasping the edge of a sofa.
Draco didn't dare move to help him; he was still too afraid.
Voldemort simply sauntered out of the shack where Draco, Snape, and now Lucius, were hiding, Death Eaters (except Snape) in tow.
As the door shut, Snape turned to Draco.
"You'd better hurry, Draco."
Draco looked at his father, then Snape, and smirked. "No one can control me…I'll get to the Horcruxes as soon as I can…on my own time."
Snape stared at Draco and said, "Very well. I shall then let Dark Lord know how unfaithful you are as well."
Draco's breathing became very shallow. It was clear he was afraid. Snape turned to Lucius and muttered, "I'll deal with you in the morning."
Lucius' breathing was heavy as he climbed the stairs to Draco's bedroom. Upon reaching the top of them, he said to his son, "Go. You heard our master. Find the Horcruxes and make sure Potter doesn't get anywhere near them."
Draco sneered at his father, grabbed his cloak, and ran out the front door.
He somehow knew the Horcruxes didn't need protection, not after what happened to Dumbledore. He knew he needed the advice of someone smart and strong-willed, such as…
Hermione Granger.
"No," he said aloud, "not her, she's a Mudblood."
She's still smart and strong-willed.
Draco knew that, so he kept trying to push that thought out.
She's a Mudblood, she's a Mudblood, just a stupid, good-for-nothing MUDBLOOD!
However much he thought that, it just kept recurring to him that she was smart and strong-willed.
Exhausted, soaked, and frightened, he stopped under a tree and tried to relax a moment before continuing on his journey. Looking around, he saw a sign that said 'Privet Drive'.
It seemed like a nice neighborhood, so he sank down against the tree and tried to take deep breaths.
He then saw heard something that got his attention. A familiar voice was screaming words. Another voice yelled at the person who spoke the first time to get out and never come back. A few moments later he gasped when he saw a flash of a person with messy black hair fly by and sit down on a bench across the street.
Draco smirked as he watched Harry Potter cry. It appeared Harry had been kicked out of home, just has he, Draco, had been driven out of home by the task of Voldemort and the deed of Snape.
His smirk faltered, and for the first time, he felt real sympathy for his arch nemesis.
Carefully, he stood up and tried to smirk again, trying to hide his compassion.
"Hey, Potter! What's your problem?" he taunted.
Harry stood up and bolted across the street, drawing his wand.
Draco didn't even bother to draw his. He was too tired to fight; he didn't even know why he yelled over at Harry anyway.
Harry stopped when he noticed Draco didn't have a wand in hand, so he suspiciously lowered his wand.
"What do you want, Malfoy? What are you doing here?"
Draco frowned and looked away. "It doesn't matter."
As he started to walk away, Harry frowned as well and said, "Something's wrong. What did Voldemort tell you to do this time? Guard his Horcruxes?"
Draco whirled around. "How did you know?"
Harry paused. "It doesn't matter, all right? All that matters is I know what you're up to. I'm going to destroy those Horcruxes, no matter what."