CARPE NOCTEM / KNOWLEDGE IS THE GREATEST WEAPON / CH. 2
"I beg your pardon? I don't think I heard you correctly." The cold voice of Lucius Malfoy echoed through the parlour of the palatial manor.
"Quite the opposite, father, you heard very well," Draco assured him, standing up from the upholstered chair he had been sitting on and folding his arms. He had anticipated the news would not conjure up a smile on his father's face but still, the iciness radiating from his words made the young boy's confidence shudder.
He'd come home for dinner, as he did from time to time when his parents hosted an important assembly with a bunch of magnates from the Ministry. His job was simple: shaking hands and repeating he couldn't be prouder to be the son of such an admirable man. It bored him to the core of his bones but it was something all kids of his status had to put up with.
Through the years, Draco had attended many events, but this particular one was by far the most ridiculous of them all.
It was only him, his parents, and the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge—a tiny man of no solid opinions, whose vocabulary seemed to be shrinking inversely proportionally to the amount of wine pounding down his throat.
"Lucius, I'm tellin' youah," Fudge said slowly, trying to focus his hazy eyes on the blond man sitting opposite him, "you abso... absouloutuleley... " He furrowed his brows as if trying to figure out why the word sounded so funny, but eventually gave up. Holding up his hand, he started again with a much more convenient choice of words. "Youweh speaking the truth, my friend!"
Lucius yawned, forcing a tired smile in the Minister's direction in the hope that he would take the hint and leave already. It was pointless trying to discuss important issues while the man's blood was boiling with alcohol.
Unfortunately, Fudge not only failed to notice but looked as if somebody had breathed a new life into him, changing the course of the conversation to his childhood memories, which not a single soul at the table seemed to appreciate. After a few exhausting moments of his incoherent talk, Narcissa Malfoy decided to take matters into her own hands.
Having cleared her throat, she began. "I am so sorry for interrupting, Minister, I'm sure it's an immensely delightful anecdote, but I'm afraid Draco needs to be back in his dorm before eleven. It is so embarrassing, but you know how Dumbledore is." She smiled apologetically in her own charming way, making the poor man blush under her gaze.
"Of course, of course!" Fudge blurted as he tried to stand up, but only managed to hit his knee.
"Bloody— I mean—"
Narcissa let out a deep breath as she watched the man struggle. "It's been an honour to have you here." She looked at her husband, whose face radiated pure relief and gratitude.
"My exact words, Minister." He stood up, coming up to Fudge to help him to his feet.
"My pleasure, Lucius... Madame Malfoy," Minister bowed his head, gripping the back of the nearest chair. When taking the first few careful steps, he paused, catching Draco's bored gaze. "Son, knowledge is the greatest weapon. Take your education seriously and one day you—!" The end of his sentence got swallowed in a loud hiccup.
Draco frowned, not really knowing how to react. If he hadn't just wasted five hours of his life, he'd actually laugh at the sight of his father supporting the drunk Minister, but his sense of humour seemed to have gone missing.
When Fudge finally vanished in the burning fireplace, all the three members of the Malfoy family sighed in relief.
"What a pathetic excuse for a man!" Lucius shook his head as he rubbed his eyes, sinking into the chair nearest to the window.
"Well, next time you wish to discuss the elimination of Weasleys' department, try not to offer any alcohol." Narcissa pointed out, sitting back down herself.
Draco too, mirroring both of his parents, plopped into his chair. He knew this wasn't the right time for bringing up his friendship with Granger, but he had no idea when he'd have another chance to talk about it. This evening was probably his only option because he surely didn't plan to discuss it through letters.
"Draco," Narcissa interrupted his thoughts with her soft voice she rarely let anyone hear, "do you want me to send Ailey for anything before you leave?"
Draco shook his head, preparing for the big announcement. His palms got all of a sudden sweaty as he nervously rubbed them together. Come on, it cannot be that hard. He encouraged himself. Just need to think of a good way to sell it. Right... now or never.
"I want Granger to come over." Shoot. Draco mentally slapped himself.
He watched as his father froze with his hand halfway to his hair. Slowly turning away from the window, Lucius raised his eyebrows as a laugh escaped through his pursed lips. "Funny, I've heard elf-made wine could do strange things to a man, but what I'm hearing is a pure Utopia," he let out, looking over to his wife who, however, didn't seem to share his amusement. Quite the opposite: Her already pale skin became almost translucent as she widened her eyes.
"I want Granger to come over this summer," Draco repeated slowly, aiming to sound confident, but couldn't really tell whether he succeeded.
"I beg your pardon? I don't think I heard you correctly." Lucius' voice suddenly lost all the traces of laughter.
"Quite the opposite, you heard very well," the blond boy answered, standing up from the chair once again.
The expression forming on his father's face did not look good. Not good at all. "Granger? That mudblood Granger?"
Draco frowned, not really pleased with the choice of words. "She's not a mudblood. Her mother is a witch," he corrected.
"Her mother is a mudblood witch and that father of hers is nothing but a dim muggle. So much the same, maybe even worse," the man said loftily, lifting his chin. "It should be illegal to mate with such varmints."
That statement was all it took to make Draco understand. Every insult he'd ever granted Granger with suddenly sounded wrong. So very wrong his stomach twisted in disgust, making everything he'd ever believed in disappear in the smoke of perception.
He took a moment to calm down. It wouldn't be wise to lose his temper. "I'd very much appreciate if you didn't use this kind of expressions when it comes to my friends," he let out finally.
Lucius' eyes widened. "Your friends?" His laugh was forced and soon turned into a dangerous sneer. "Since when does my only son fraternize with scum?"
"She's not scum!" Draco snapped, no longer in control of his tone.
His father's sharp countenance emitted perplexion and disgust at the same time. "Draco, what is this about? Don't tell me you took a liking to the filthy—"
"No, Merlin! It's not that. I just..." Draco stuttered in exasperation.
Lucius stood up from the chair, turning his back to both Narcissa and his son. "Listen, I don't want to hear another word about it."
"Father, I..."
"You're not allowed to talk to that girl. Is that clear?"
"Excuse me? It is my life! You can't just tell me who I can or cannot—" Draco retorted but Lucius spoke over him.
"You are NOT going to disrespect me like that! I am your father and there are certain rules you simply have to follow! Merlin, I thought we raised you better than that," Lucius added, disbelief reflecting in his eyes.
Draco shook his head. "You've never talked to me in such a way. What happened to you?"
"You've never given me any reason," the man said coldly, turning back to look at his son.
"And what reason is this? Granger is just as much of a human as I am. She saved my life, for Merlin's sake!" The secret slipped out of his mouth as if it was nothing.
"What did you say?" Narcissa finally decided to join in.
"Nothing." The boy dismissed the question, though he knew that sooner or later he would have to tell the truth.
"Answer me, Draco," Narcissa said firmly, making him sigh in uneasiness.
"What's the point? You wouldn't believe me, anyway," he replied, disappointed by the lack of understanding.
"Well, a few moments ago I wouldn't believe it's possible to be betrayed by my own son. Try me," the blond wizard said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Lucius!" Narcissa finally came to Draco's rescue. "Please..."
He didn't say another word, only directed his eyes to Draco in expectation. The boy, realizing he didn't have any other choice, took a deep breath and reluctantly started talking.
He remembered the day as if it was only yesterday. That idiot, Filch, caught him in the corridor after the curfew. Under the influence of his stupid ideas, the man took him out of the castle straight to Hagrid's cottage.
"You're breaking the rules! Do you even know who I am?!" Draco protested as the man pushed his back to encourage him to walk faster. "Wait till my father hears about this!"
"I am not afraid of your father, boy! You're a student. A student out of bed at night! If you want to roam outside, I'll give you a good reason." He sneered.
"This is unacceptable! Take me back at once!" Draco ordered but was only met with one final nudge on his shoulder.
"We're here." Filch wouldn't stop smiling as they stopped in front of the wooden ruin the caretaker used to call a house. There was no need to knock because a huge frame of Rubeus Hagrid just came out from behind the colossal pumpkins.
"Who is it? What are you doing here?" he yelled, almost annoyed, once he caught a sight of them.
"Hagrid, good evening! I'm bringing help. This one volunteered, isn't it just... generous?" Filch called back in a voice full of happiness.
"Are you insane?!" Draco shrieked as he pulled away from the skinny caretaker. "I wouldn't do it even if you offered me a first-class ticket out of this stupid school with an option to transfer to Durmstrang."
Hagrid's dark eyes were jumping from one male to the other. "Filch, who told you to bring the boy here?"
"Nobody! It was his stupid idea!" Draco blurted, almost crying.
"What? Take him back, this instant! Do you know who that is?!" Hagrid's eyes widened as he recognized the aristocratic features of the Malfoys' offspring.
"Don't listen to him, Hagrid! Professor Snape allowed it." Filch lied like a dog.
"What?! That's not true! Snape doesn't have a clue I'm here!" Draco cried out desperately.
Hagrid pushed the man aside, whispering, trying to shake some sense into him. "Filch, this is a son of Lucius Malfoy, do you know what will happen to us if something happens to him?"
For a split second, Filch looked unsure but seemed to recover pretty quickly. "Well, do what you want, but I wouldn't risk having Snape on my bad side, either."
"Then let's go see him," Hagrid suggested flatly.
"Professor was not in a good mood when I met him. You know, he's got a lot of work, it wouldn't be smart to interrupt him with something he once agreed to. You're a professor, Hagrid, act like one!" Filch, however stupid he might have been, used a clever trick.
"I dunno..." Hagrid seemed hesitant.
"Look," the old caretaker whispered, "Lucius Malfoy doesn't have any power over here and Dumbledore would never let anything happen to you. Moreover, you know the forest. Nothing's going to happen if he stays with you."
Hagrid sighed heavily, giving in to Filch's manipulation.
"All right, come along!" he said, walking back to the boy, who had heard every single word they so foolishly uttered.
"No! This squib is lying! I refuse to stay here!" Draco yelled, pointing at Filch.
"Oh, but you won't stay here. You're going down there." The spiteful man sneered as he nodded toward the Forbidden Forest.
"What?! Are you mad?!" Draco was panicking.
"Take care, heard there are many creatures hunting at night," Filch whispered as he walked past them, heading back to the castle.
"FILCH! Don't you dare leave me here!" Draco yelled after him, but since he didn't get any response, yelled even louder. "You are going to pay for this! Do you hear me?!"
"Don't worry, Draco, we won't go far." Hagrid tried to calm the boy down but it was no use.
"I am not going anywhere!" he replied loftily, folding his arms.
"Come on, it's not as scary as it looks." The half-giant tried to smile as he took the first few steps toward the thick mass of blackness. "I wouldn't stay here on my own if I were you," he called over his shoulder, having Draco running after him.
The first half an hour went surprisingly well. It really wasn't that bad of a place once one stopped paying attention to the strange sounds coming from all the directions.
"Draco, I need you to stay here for a sec, I'll be right back, 'kay?" Hagrid suddenly stopped, searching for something in his pocket.
"Sure, just leave me behind, there's nothing to kill me." Draco turned his back to the caretaker, sarcasm lacing the words full of fear. "I'm not staying here alone, okay?!" Since the boy did not hear any response, he turned back, only to realize he was alone.
"Shoot! Hagrid!" he yelled without any thinking. It was already too late when he realized his mistake. There was a strange sound behind his back that made him run for dear life.
'I won't get killed for the lame giant!' He thought as he jumped over a bunch of rocks. He ran and ran until his feet collided with a crooked root of an old tree, making him fall flat on his face.
"Ouch!" he let out dimly as he slowly sat up, holding a hand to his nose. It was bleeding.
"Hagrid, you're gonna pay for this!" Draco whispered to himself as tears of fear mixed with blood streamed down his cheeks. He looked around and it finally dawned on him. He was alone in a forest full of dangerous creatures.
There were trees all around him, all identical. "This can't be happening!" He quickly stood up, taking the wand out of his pocket. "Lumos!" he whispered, trying to locate something familiar. Unfortunately, there was not a stalk he could recognize.
"What do I do?!" Draco was panicking, still looking around. He didn't know whether to stay and wait for Hagrid to rescue him or try to find the big moron.
'I won't possibly survive the night staying in one place,' he tried to reason.
'I need to figure out the way to find the idiot.'
Bravely, he took the first careful steps toward an overgrown mass of bushes he had a feeling he had passed on his way here. As quietly as he could, he jumped over them to find a narrow path lined by a shining bed of moss.
No…
Draco made his way back, trying a different path and luckily, found the right one on the second try. The hope of surviving this messed-up night let him tame his striking fear. That was until a sudden sniffing sound hit his ears.
He felt hot breath against his nape, which spawned a rash of goosebumps down his spine. Slowly, as if time had stopped, he turned around and froze. Just mere inches away from his face, yellow teeth with dripping saliva glowed in the moonlight.
Draco couldn't move or breathe. He had no idea how long he stood there. It felt like months, whole years, while in reality, it was probably just a few seconds.
He knew this was the end. A painfully long one.
As if coming out of a trance, he jumped as the beast pulled away, turning its giant head upon hearing an odd sound. A human sound.
Draco couldn't believe his eyes. Right behind the huge wolf-like beast stood Hermione Granger, trying her best to distract the monster.
Like a coward, Draco took his chance to turn around and sprint with all his might away from the huge creature. He ran and ran until one thought sprung inside his mind. It was insane, but—
'The stupid Granger is there all alone— but no! There's no way I am going back. If she wants to play brave, it's her fault she's going to serve as a late dinner.'
But still, the thought of abandoning her while she risked her own life for saving his wouldn't stop haunting him.
Desperate and against his own will, he stopped and looked around.
Another creepy noise filled the air, crippling the boy, but as if out of pure luck, it wasn't another monster. It was—
"Hagrid!" Draco yelled as he ran into his huge front, "Granger! There's a... COME ON!" He tried to push the giant but he stood no chance.
"What?" Hagrid asked, his voice full of fear.
"Move already!" the boy yelled again and suddenly Hagrid did, making Draco fall to the ground. He quickly got back to his feet, pointing in the direction where he had seen the beast.
Hagrid hurried into the labyrinth of trees, disappearing before Draco's eyes.
It was probably too late. Granger must have been dead already.
Granger... dead. He couldn't explain why he felt a strange emptiness inside his stomach once he imagined the girl's lifeless body lying on the ground.
Suddenly, he heard Hagrid's roar and a howling of the beast... and then silence.
'That's it. Hagrid's gone as well,' Draco thought desperately.
'I'm finished.' The tears of fear started pouring once again until he saw Hagrid's huge body coming back with Granger jogging in front of him. Her face expressed horror but other than that, she seemed to be quite all right.
Pure relief filled his whole being upon seeing both of them. Quickly, he wiped the tears away.
"Come on, we need to get back!" Hagrid announced as if it was their idea to roam here at night.
"What happened?! Is it dead?" Draco asked.
"No, but it's not going to do us any harm for now," Hagrid replied mysteriously, "there are much more interesting questions to ask, though... Right, Hermione?! Explain to me what for Merlin's sake you were doing here?!" Hagrid suddenly started all accusing as they were making their way back.
"I got a detention from Professor Snape and he told me to find you and help with anything you'd need. I couldn't find you outside so I went looking for you," she replied as if there hadn't been a beast trying to kill them just a few minutes ago.
"Merlin, Granger! How could you be so STUPID?! You'd rather get yourself killed than refuse to comply?!" Draco tapped his temples and shook his head as he jogged by Hagrid's huge belly.
"If I were you, I'd be glad I was SO stupid! It could have ended pretty badly," Hermione replied bitterly.
"Says you," he shot back, but somewhere deep, deep, deep down he agreed.
"That's it! I've had it up to here with Dumbledore, that giant, and the stupid squib!" Lucius' eyes were shooting daggers when Draco finished his talking.
"It wasn't Hagrid's fault." Draco tried to defend the caretaker.
"What?! Are you friends with him too now?!" Lucius snapped, making the boy jump.
"No, I just, it's all the squib's fault. He's mental!" The boy shrugged.
"Take your stuff, Draco, I'm going to have a word with Dumbledore." The man stood up, ready to leave.
"Not unless we finish the conversation!" Draco protested. "Father, please, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her."
Lucius slowly came back. "Unlikely story. You should have thought of something much more believable. The Beast of Gévaudan." Lucius raised his eyebrows, not even trying to hide his disappointment. He looked at Narcissa as if hoping for an exchange of looks, but his wife was cold stone frozen.
"Son, even little children know the Gévaudan's monster is a fairytale! It's always been werewolves—not mentioning that the legends say such a beast was enjoying its victims in France, hunting for women and children. Tell me, Draco, do you consider yourself a child?" Lucius asked in a low voice.
"You've never doubted me." The blond boy frowned, hurt by all the interrogation.
"Well, nor were you telling stories before. You know, I've always supported even the most questionable tales of yours, but this is just ridiculous. Tell me you haven't talked about this with anyone. I don't want to know what would our friends say if my only son..." Lucius stopped just in time.
"If your only son what?" The boy challenged him to finish, but Lucius only smiled, completely changing his behaviour.
"Nothing. Draco, let's sit down and talk about this as grown-ups, shall we?" He pointed at a nearby chair, prompting his son to sit down.
"Fine, let's talk." Draco complied, choosing Fudge's abandoned seat, opposite to his father's.
"So let's say Granger did save your life. Do you feel like being in debt? We can give her gold and forget that it's ever happened," Lucius suggested.
"No, it's not that! After that incident we somehow became friends. She's quite smart and I'd appreciate being able to have such people in my life... mother?" Draco turned to her, looking for some support.
"Draco, It's certainly not a good idea." She shook her head disapprovingly.
"Why not? I just— if you'd even listened, you'd have heard that I owe my life to her. This is the least I could do to repay her." He frowned again. It was a completely new feeling for him to hear his parents say no.
Lucius took a deep breath. "All right, but even if we allowed it, are you forgetting about your dear aunt?"
"Who? Andromeda?" Draco shot cheekily, hitting the nerve.
"How dare you mention that woman, Draco!" Narcissa snapped. "She's nothing to us!"
"I'm sorry! I'm just really surprised by your lack of gratitude toward Granger just because her blood— well, is not like ours." He let his words sink in and then continued. "And when it comes to aunt Bella, she doesn't have to know."
"Do you think she's stupid? Look at that Granger girl, for Merlin's sake! She's got mud written all over her frame. It just takes one look to tell!" Lucius protested.
"Well, there has to be a way! She's the only real friend I have. Do this one thing for me. I'm not asking for much." Draco turned to his mother, who seemed to have let the Andromeda subject go.
Her freezing eyes melted and turned the teal shade of blue. "We'll think about it," she let out finally, surprising both Lucius and Draco.
"So you..?"
"I didn't promise you anything!"
"Maybe we could arrange—"
"I said we'll think it over!" Narcissa raised her eyebrows but gave him a small smile as she came over to kiss his cheek. "Take good care and promise me to stay out of trouble, all right?"
"All right." Draco nodded, not saying anything else. He knew he'd won her over.
I really hope you enjoyed the update! Feel free to drop any questions or thoughts!
/Much love for all the support!/
